Carry Forward
by Sakeryu
Summary: Post war, Sakura must carry forward, for Konoha may have lost several of its important loved ones, but it has not lost the Will of Fire, even if she had.
1. Chapter 1

**Carry Forward**

Chapter One

Sakura stood to the right of the stage on the curb, slightly further towards the back of the crowd. Her gaze drifted over the full crowd of civilians and shinobi alike. She forced herself to hold her face placid and she felt her chest tighten. Many of these people seemed relieved, but some faces still looked weary. The music blared loud over the speakers, and she cringed inwardly at the jovial tone.

Sakura shifted her stance on the curb and listened to the crowd's aimless conversations. She brought her arms up to loop her fingers around the shoulder arm holes of her green Jonin vest. The weight was heavy yet comforting for her, and she latched onto it to keep her hands from trembling.

After the war, Konoha had struggled to regain its economic status as one of the leading Hidden Villages. The war was tragic, and halted may of the advancements the village was in the process of making to be more welcoming to trades and businesses. Many people had suffered the depression of the war, shinobi and civilian alike. The hospital was overflowing with patients needing advanced care, but there were few nurses and providers. The markets suffered severe damages and couldn't produce the income needed to sustain business. Many people lost their homes and their loved ones. Children had fewer school options and less places for extracurricular activities. The population itself had dwindled to the lowest she ever remembered it being. With the war now several months behind the Hidden Village, Konoha was trying to open its arms once again and re establish itself with a grand charity event- a charitable walk.

Sakura's emerald eyes passed over the growing crowd and she wondered briefly if it was a good idea to host such a large gathering so soon after the war. Fear struck an odd chord in her body and her spine straightened impossibly so.

Her attention dwindled as Hatake Kakashi took to the stage, his infamous book nowhere in sight. Sakura almost laughed at the clear displeasure across his features, but decided to damped her response when his eye found hers. The corner of his eye crinkled in her direction and she slowly nodded her head in response. She should be proud of him, she thought, he stepped up as her Shishou retired. Sakura knew so much relied on Kakashi giving a sentimental and empowering speech to reunite the country. She couldn't laugh at him with this much pressure on his shoulders. Maybe afterwards, but not now.

His hand shot up to quiet the roaring crowd, and Sakura was impressed with how easy he drew people's attention. Kakashi could always blend in with a crowd, but within a moments notice he could easily grab the limelight. She didn't envy that, but she could respect it.

"Good morning and thank you very much." He began with a quick tap to the microphone at the podium in front of him.

The crowd's cheering dwelled down and the music softened to a light tone. She watched his eye scan through the many faces of them, stopping only on a few particular faces. She guessed perhaps Gai, Yamato, or Naruto. Those were the people usually associated with him, and she assumed those were the people he cared for the most at the time.

"It's an honor to be here. Really quickly, let's give it up to the Elders for putting together this event and charitable walk thru Konoha. It's a beautiful day to start this walk. Thank you again for being here. It's a privilege to be here with you all."

The crowd roared to life again with applause, and she cringed thinking of all the faces that weren't there with them today. Faces of people she was too late to save and faces of people who she couldn't. Sakura held back a sigh as she shook herself.

"On behalf of all our veterans and their families, I want to thank you all for being here. Today we unite together in honor of the mission of Konoha- to our people and service members. Give yourselves a round of applause for being here."

"First of all, let's give a round of applause for our top fundraiser squad, Team 8. Without their diplomatic missions, we would not have been able to raise the support needed to address our growing concerns within the community." Kakashi said with a wave of his hand.

The crowd was erupting into cheers, and Sakura fought to stay comfortable on her feet as the crowd drew closer together. She was beginning to feel the constraints of claustrophobia settle into her shoulders, and she stepped back several paces.

"From all of our team and leadership, we wish to serve our nation's veterans who have served our country and kept us free and protected the freedoms we all enjoy as Konoha citizens. When we ask young men and women to go into harm's way, there are no guarantees. Certainly we can't guarantee they come home in one piece or if they come home at all. But when they do come home, we know our nation will be there for them for their recovery, rehabilitation, and transition. That's our mission; to be there for them when they come home. The success of our warriors doesn't stand on the shoulders of any one individual organization, but it stands on the shoulders of all Konoha citizens. Certainly with you all being here today demonstrates your commitment to our warriors and their families, as well as the rebuilding of our great country."

Patriotism, she thought, was just a word, but Kakashi made it a tangible feeling. Sakura couldn't fathom how immense the emotion was from the crowd, but she felt it tight in her chest and throat. Her eyes prickled with unshed tears, and she held tighter onto her green vest. She swallowed down the dryness of her throat and watched as the sheer determination of the crowd built. It was now teeming with life, and the people were overwhelmed with so many emotions. Some people were crying, others were smiling and cheering wholeheartedly. Sakura recognized the relief in the faces of her comrades in arms.

Sakura herself struggled to keep the emotion from over running her. She rocked on her heels with her boots, her fingers tracing patterns onto her black long sleeved shirt. She felt the heat of the crowd pressing into her front, and she took a few more steps back to distance herself.

"This war has devastated more than just our warriors, but also the many families of Konoha. It's time we carry forward. We carry the burden of our lost family and friends. We carry the burden of living on their dreams and hopes. And we all carry the burden of moving forward to greater peace and tranquility. Let us all stand united together."

Kakashi may as well moved a stone wall. Sakura gazed at the people of Konoha littering the streets, and she felt them draw closer together physically and metaphorically. She, on the outskirts, was empowered for a moment. Her eyes darted back to her former sensei on the stage. His eye was crinkled again in what she supposed was a sad smile when the crowd began its descent into the marked pathway of the charity walk.

Konoha may have lost several of its important loved ones, but it has not lost the Will of Fire, even if she did.

A.N: I do not own the characters of Naruto.

I do have a plot in mind, but am not sure who to pair Sakura with. Please feel free to drop a line and let me know exactly who you'd love to see her end up with- good guy or bad!

I do spend a lot of time with veteran service members and many of the themes in this storyline will be based on what I've been told or have heard. I do apologize for my more sensitive readers.

My goal is to start a couple stories, and finish a couple of my older ones (excuse me for forgetting some of those plot lines. I'll try my best to get back on board with those!).

Best of all, happy reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Carry Forward**

Chapter Two

Sakura aimlessly trailed the bustling streets of her hometown. She was bored, and hadn't been called for a mission in quite some time. She had begged at the Hokage doors demanding to be seen, but the ANBU guards stood firm. She had been shooed away stating her message would be sent to the Hokage, but he was too busy at the time to see her. Something along the lines of negotiations and meetings being more important.

Sakura didn't doubt her former sensei being busy. She had helped Tsunade countless times with the mounds of paperwork. To run a village was no small task, and she believed wholeheartedly Tsunade would have struggled immensely without Shizune or herself. What she was doubting was if the Hokage was actually working or if he was avoiding her.

Sakura frowned placing her hands in her pant pockets. Her sandals scuffed the dirt and she clucked her tongue on the back of her teeth.

After the war, distance had grown between her and her beloved Team 7. Naruto was busying himself with re immersing Sasuke into village life. Her and Sasuke could barely see each other without tension running high, so she would excuse herself as quickly as she could under his intense gaze. Naruto couldn't understand her sensitivity to Sasuke's scrutiny, but she didn't have the heart to tell him either. Yamato was constantly out of the village walls, much to her dismay because she would rather be the one on the field. Sai was seemingly missing most days, and she had a hard time placing what he was doing. She told herself she would interrogate him once she did see him.

Kakashi, however, was another story. As hard as she tried to corner the man, he seemed to dodge her quite well. The times she did see him, he would find his own excuse to dismiss himself. He was running from her and she didn't know why. It got to the point that the ANBU posted outside of the Hokage doors knew her routine exceptionally well, and they were always there to interject her. She had tried to storm the office several times, but had no luck succeeding. Kakashi was being an elusive man, and she was very tempted to resort to violence to corner him.

She nodded at a passing elderly couple holding hands. They waved gently at her and she stepped to the side of the road to let them pass.

Watching the old couple strut by, Sakura sighed.

She felt severely lonely suddenly.

Sakura took a deep breath and continued down the road. She passed the old academy where she trained as a young girl. The terrorism attacks of Akatsuki had blown the school to bits of rubble, and her heart ached at the fond memories, so she hurried past it. The community had opted to build a new academy instead. She had glimpsed at the plans and was impressed, but nostalgia held her from fully appreciating the 'new and highly technologically advanced' grounds.

She dipped in and out of the meandering people. It had been months since the Fourth Great Shinobi War, but the people of Konoha were carrying on as if it wasn't as fresh. Perhaps it was just her, she thought. Perhaps she was too on edge.

Sakura shook herself mentally. Going through her mental checklist, she felt trapped. How was she supposed to move forward when she couldn't even take any missions on outside of the Konoha walls? She cringed. As much as she loved hospital work, she dreaded how seemingly dull the work had become. There was little excitement in healing the wounds of careless Genin and small children just barely learning how to throw a shuriken.

Life had taken a quiet tone in Konoha, and she was supposed to be happy. Peace was finally settled between the Five Great Nations. Trade was at an all time high as the villages were trying to repair their services and businesses. People were in demand of labor and it was readily available. The economy was running swell.

Sakura leapt to the rooftops to watch the city beneath. Why was it that with the village beaming with happiness and pride she couldn't?

War did strange things to people, and she was one of them.

—

Sakura was rummaging through her apartment again. She found herself doing this every time she was uneasy. She would pick up items and rearrange where they were on her shelves to only be dissatisfied with the placement and displace the item again elsewhere. Her picture frames were all overturned. She couldn't bare to look at the faces of her old comrades, and she dared not to look at the pictures of her parents who were slain in the attacks on Konoha.

She never touched those frames anymore.

Sakura was fiddling with the storage scrolls, moving them from one shelf to the next when she was interrupted by a knock on her door. She turned away from the shelf and promptly put herself to the door. Anxiety crept up her throat and it was tight. Holding her breath, she pressed an ear to the door. She strained to hear any noise, and her hand slid down her thigh to her weapons pouch.

"Sakura-San, it's me!"

An unwilling breath of relief parted her lips and she opened the door to the bowl cut of Lee. He was determined it seemed with energy bouncing in his round eyes. She shifted her weight between her legs and smiled gently.

"Sakura-San, I've come to see if you would like to run a hundred laps with me in honor of the charity walk Hokage-sama hosted!"

Sakura ran her hands through her pink locks, and sighed. A hundred laps wasn't necessarily hard, but her energy was zapped from her.

"I'm sorry, Lee-San, but I have to decline."

His fist rose up and he nodded. "To honor you, I'll run a hundred more! If you decide to change your mind, I'll be happy to have you!"

"Thank you, Lee, but maybe next time." She waved him off.

Lee was rushing ahead spewing nonsense, and Sakura leaned on her door frame. She chanced a glance at the Hokage Tower which was closer to her new establishment. She saw in the distance the Copy-Nin reading in the window. She straightened slowly almost afraid he would feel her gaze and she entered her prison with a soft click of her door.

Sakura feared her life was getting too draining. She glanced back at the shelves and took notice of the mess she had made, but couldn't find it within her to fix it.

She headed into the kitchen, and made a show of opening and closing each cupboard. Her stomach wasn't growling for food, and she looked in disinterest in the fridge. She had an old carton of milk which clearly needed to be disposed of and a half eaten sandwich. Closing the door, she walked back into her living room to stand there for awhile. Her mind was quiet and she put her hands in her pockets again.

Silence had her grabbing her vest before stepping out of the apartment entirely. She locked the door and quickly placed some seals on her door. She chanced a second look at the Hokage Tower, but found the window Kakashi occupying now empty.

She dipped down the stairs on light toes, and pumped chakra into her feet to lift her to the rooftop. She jumped from roof to roof, eyes skipping over the people, and her hand close to her Kunai pouch. She patrolled the streets from above for hours.

By the time she had spent some energy, the sky was turning dark and she found herself in the seedier portion of Konoha. She didn't often frequent this part before becoming a jonin, and almost never prior to the war. It was a place for seasoned shinobi and those looking to expend some money on what Jiraiya had called 'quick and easy' entertainment.

Sakura dropped from the roof to the dirt road leading into the sectioning. The lights glowed red, and she grimaced at the resemblance to the red of Sasuke's sharigan. Finding a particular establishment, she dipped under the paper divider and settled into her usual spot.

Sakura waved two fingers up in call and the bartender nodded. Within a moment, a small dish of sake was placed before her, and her lips settled on the edge. The bottle was then placed within her grasp, and she nodded a thanks to the elderly man. She swallowed the bitter liquid and poured herself a refill. The liquid burned her throat, and to ease it she downed the second dish quickly.

After her fourth refill, the liquid burned less, and she slowed her pace. The bar was always empty this early on in the evening, but give another hour and it would be teeming with people. Some were civilians looking to 'feel the strength' of shinobi thinking they would be better lovers. Not that they were wrong, but she was going solely based on the stories Ino told her. Most of the populace in the bar were shinobi looking to drown out their own demons.

Sakura flinched at the thought.

She didn't have demons to deal with, she thought bitterly.

Sakura finished her fifth refill quickly. She reached for the bottle, and frowned when she poured the last bit in her dish. Her fingers waved again, and another bottle was settled in front of her.

She had a feeling it would be awhile before her senses were dimmed, and she wouldn't leave until they were.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

PIercing screams filled Sakura's ears and her immediate instinct was to draw her weapon and investigate; however, Sakura cringed inwardly.

The child before her wailed harder, and she fought back a huff. Civilian children were so different than shinobi's. Sakura watched the small five year old wiggle fruitlessly in her grasp, yet she held firm. She vaguely recalled her first remembrance of receiving the flu vaccination, and she didn't remember crying as hard, or as loud, as the kids today.

Sakura sighed, and pulled the syringe from the child's deltoid and she quickly bandaged the boy up. When she released his arm, he darted unceremoniously toward his mother's awaiting arms.

"He'll be tender for a few days, but otherwise you are all set for today."

The mother had turned smiling eyes to her and thanked her for her service before exiting. Sakura listened as the child continued to cry down the hall before she could no longer hear the muffled screams. Sakura hated these days. She often preferred the trauma ward, but with activity calmed in Konoha, she found herself filling in wherever she could. Undoubtedly, that meant also filling in the pediatric ward she had worked hard to establish.

Sakura called in the passing nurse to properly sanitize the station before disposing her used gloves in the waste bin. Sakura meandered out and set her sights on an empty waiting room. Sakura adored children, to a degree, she supposed, but she was beyond relieved to see the waiting area free of any more who could pierce her eardrums.

She shuffled to the nurses station and confirmed the schedule with the receptionist. With her help, the schedule which had been overbooked for two civilian physicians was now completely finished for the day.

Sakura's lips turned upwards in polite response to the happy receptionist and she excused herself. Sakura walked the quiet halls before turning to the lighted stairwell sign. She opened the door, and descended from the fifth floor and made herself focus on the sound of her heels clicking against the concrete. The sound vibrated off the walls, and she felt the pressure behind her eyes build. She pushed chakra to the point to ease the growing headache, and she dramatically rubbed her head with her hand.

At one point, Sakura wanted children. An image of little raven haired children chasing around with Kunai and little fireballs spitting from their lips popped in her head. She crushed that thought with a none-too-gentle reminder of the screaming of the petite patients she had today. Perhaps, she would need to reconsider children entirely.

Sakura found herself at the first floor of the hospital, and followed the path to the receptionist desk of the Emergency Room Department. She approached quickly hoping to attend something much more urgent, but frowned when she saw no one in the immediate vicinity remotely looking ill or injured.

"Any walk-ins or imperative care needed?" Sakura questioned upon gathering the attention of the nursing staff.

With a few clicks, the brown haired receptionist shook her head.

"I'm sorry Haruno-sama, but it looks like there's nothing at this moment and we have both attending physicians available at this time."

Sakura nodded, and clicked her own nails against the counter. Sakura dismissed herself with another small smile before heading to the board to sign out for the day.

Life was quiet in Konoha, and it seemed today would be as quiet as the last few days have been. Months, she corrected herself, the last few months. Sakura exited the hospital, and divested herself of her white lab jacket folding it over her arm. She kicked up some dirt on the road with her heels, and she began her short walk to her apartment.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's head snapped to attention and she found the source of her name immediately. Her blonde friend was waving his arm adamantly in her direction. She waved back, and shifted herself to turn in his direction. She stopped smiling as she watched the raven man beside Naruto turn his focus to her, eyes burning into her soul.

"Sakura-chan, come here!" The blonde called again, arms still waving enthusiastically.

She shuffled over and dread spread across her shoulders. Sakura nodded in their direction, and when she was closer she sucked a deep breath of air in.

"Naruto-kun," she greeted softly before turning a side glance at his company, "Sasuke."

His charcoal eyes blinked slowly at her, and a shiver crawled up her spine. Even without his sharingan activated, Sakura had the distinct sensation that he was scrutinizing her.

"We were just coming to get you! Want to come to Ichiraku with us?"

Sakura forced her gaze on the bubbly blonde, and she traced his smiling face with her green eyes. He looked unbelievably happy in that moment, and with his twinkling blue eyes, she almost couldn't refuse him. With another sense of heat on the side of her face, she grimaced. Her eyes flashed to the cool Uchiha beside him, and Sakura's stomach clenched.

"I'm so tired. Perhaps another time, Naruto." She murmured, shifting her weight back on her heels.

"Aw, Sakura-chan, you always say that." Naruto groaned with a pout.

Sakura saw the disappointment clearly across his face. His toned arms reached up behind his head, and he moved from one foot to the other. He was poised so relaxed, his orange jacket unzipped exposing his white tank top tucked into the front of his pants. Sakura dared another glance at the Uchiha who was still focused too intently on her, and she schooled her features under his gaze.

"Naruto!" She barked, "I run a hospital! Some of us don't have the luxury to galavant all over whenever!"

She sharply pivoted to the Uchiha when she heard a disgruntled noise escape him.

"You have something to say?" She growled out between pursued lips.

It was a battle of wills between the two of them. Heat exploded in her chest with anger, and her hand tightened on her white lab jacket. His piercing eyes flitted between hers, and the air was tight around them. It was a heavy staring contest and their bodies moved to mimic each other.

"Ne, Sakura-chan?"

The moment was lost. Sakura turned away from the raven haired man to her blonde friend who was leaning in closer to her. Sakura watched as Naruto seemed to gauge his words cautiously, his whiskers pinching together.

"We can go next time, but it'll have to wait until next month."

Sakura froze.

"Next month?"

Sakura glared menacingly at the fox retainer, and he had the audacity to look embarrassed. He toed the ground with his sandal, and his arms dropped to swing bashfully behind him. Sakura leaned in closer to him, and through clenched teeth asked him what he meant again. Fear flashed in his eyes and a shaky nervous laugh escaped him.

"Kakashi-sensei is sending us out to Kirigakure for awhile."

Sakura grabbed at his orange jacket and he jerked at her abrupt movement. She drew him nose to nose to her, and flashed dangerous pearly white teeth. She hissed much like a cat would and his head bobbed away from her, panic rising in his tone.

"Neh, Sakura-chan! You don't have to be so scary!"

He grabbed at her hands trying to pry her off him, but she held fast. His blue eyes were wide and she could see her reflection clearly in them.

"Naruto, who is going?" She spit.

"Just Naruto and I."

His words hit home, and she spun away from them, flinging the protesting blonde carelessly. She heard Naruto's surprised cry, and she refused to acknowledge him calling to her. She stormed down the street in the opposite direction and towards the Hokage Tower.

Sakura was up the stairs in a flash, the world around her blurring before coming into focus, and the ANBU hesitated a moment too long. She was past them in a moment with a burst of speed. Sakura flung open the wooden door, and Kakashi's head whipped up from the documents he was looking over. The ANBU guards had their hands wrapped around her elbows. She knew she could easily over power their hold, but she let them halt her forward motion.

"You're sending them out of the country?" Sakura snarled.

Kakashi's hand waved away the ANBU behind her, and she approached his desk with heavy steps. Her pink hair fluttered around her shoulders with her brisk steps. She completely ignored the other individual in the room with a dark glare solely on the lone eye of Kakashi.

His gloved hands held up in front of himself, and he sat back in his chair. His silver hair bobbed with his head tilt, and Sakura felt her jaw click shut.

"Now, Sakura-"

"Don't give me that bullshit that I'm needed here!" She fumed.

"Sakura-" he tried again with a softer tone, his hands dropping slightly.

"Stop it!"

Sakura stood heaving in front of his desk with a hard glare. Her fingers were clutching tightly into her lab jacket and she slammed a heeled foot down into the marble floor, a sickening crack resounded in the quiet room. She memorized the way his dark eye narrowed and how his lips pressed closed behind his black mask.

"Sakura, that's no way to speak to your Hokage."

Sakura glowered at his sharp tone, and her spine snapped straight. Her teeth ground together, and her face flushed.

"Hokage-sama," Sakura spit. "I've been requesting a mission for months. Months!"

Her tirad didn't end there.

"I've handled the hospital exceptionally well, and have worked hard to rebuild it to be fully functional." Sakura added quickly as his eye flashed, "Without me."

There was a tenseness in his shoulders, and his hands clasped together. He leaned back in his chair nonchalantly, and the man was infuriating her further. He seemed so lax, and her hands cramped at the urge to strike out.

Sakura never normally would have approached him in such a manner, especially unannounced, but with Sasuke's words floating in her head, Sakura couldn't ease the anger pumping her veins. Sakura bit her tongue, and let the drizzle of blood fill her mouth to keep her from speaking out further. She was pressing her luck it seemed as Kakashi's brows furrowed together.

Sakura flinched when the presence in the room thickened and she swallowed down the smidge of blood in her mouth.

"She isn't wrong."

Sakura felt her eyes go wide and her head shot to the other man in the room. His hands were in his black jonin pants and a cigarette dangling from his lips. It wasn't lit, but the image Shikamaru produced reminded her of his late sensei, Asuma.

"The hospital has been fully function with her leadership for quite some time and the hospital is over staffed as is."

Sakura wasn't sure if she heard him correctly, and she flashed her gaze to his lips to be sure to read them accurately. His intense gaze had her glancing back up in embarrassment at being caught. She rested her hand on her hip and shifted her weight again.

The three of them were weighing each other out, and when both sets of eyes fell to her, Sakura contained a shiver. The intensity of their eyes were enough to draw a small amount of an unknown emotion in the pit of her stomach, and she straightened herself. She took a deep breath in her nose and let it out slowly.

"Hokage-sama, please. I'm needed on the field just as much as in the hospital. I'm capable."

Sakura wasn't sure if her words were soft enough considering how wound up she was, but she hoped he read into her posture. He blinked slowly at her, and his hands dropped to his lap. From the corner of her eye, she saw Shikamaru shake his head with a sigh.

She briefly thought she heard him mutter, 'how troublesome', but she ignored it in favor of gauging her silent former sensei.

"I'll think it over."

Sakura's relief was visible, and a tension along her shoulders was released. Sakura's face slackened and a soft smile pulled at the corners of her lips. It wasn't a definite answer, but it was a small bud of hope.

They stared at each other for another tense moment. Her shoulders were beginning to creep back up, and her lips were pulling back down into a frown. Her former sensei was interlacing his fingers together, and he was inching forward to press his mouth into his hands. Sakura wasn't sure if he was going to give an answer now, but she had a suspicious feeling that if he did the outcome wasn't going to be in her favor.

A small cough interrupted their staring contest, and she looked again at Shikamaru. His face screamed bored, and his hands were stuffed deep into his pockets. He pulled one out to scratch at the stubble of his goatee, and she vaguely wondered if it was prickly to touch. She shook her head at that, and zeroed in on her Hokage again. His hands dropped entirely down on the table, and he clicked his tongue.

"Give me some time and I'll summon you once I do."

Sakura bowed at the waist. When she stood again, his hands were already pulling out his infamous Icha Icha Paradise book. Taking it as a dismissal, she turned and caught the bored gaze of Shikamaru. She offered a small smile, and continued to the door. To her surprise, he followed with a grunt towards the older man.

The ANBU closed the door behind them, and she stared into their animal masks for a second. Sakura would have apologized to them, but decided their lack of response may trigger her anger. She set a pace to the stairs, and felt the Nara clan heir fall into step beside her.

Her nose scrunched as he lit his cigarette.

Sakura took on a slightly condescending tone, and remarked lightly. "That'll kill you."

"Good." He grumbled around the cigarette, looking off in the distance.

Their steps were light as they continued down the steps in peace. Sakura scrambled to recall the last time she had last interacted with the shadow user, but could only place his fierce calls on the battlefield of the Fourth Great War. Her lips dipped down.

She usually saw him hanging around her old rival, Ino, and their teammate Choji, but with her lack of social standing as she called it, she rarely saw any of them. Being clanless meant less responsibility and political intrigue, but that also meant her friends had more time locked away in intricate meetings, whereas she was holed up in the hospital or pacing the rooftops aimlessly.

Sakura chanced a peak at him, and found him taking a long drag on his cigarette. She studied his profile before directing her eyes elsewhere. They continued down the steps at a leisurely pace, and they both stopped directly at the bottom. She faced him, and opened her mouth to thank him before his hand shot up.

Sakura flinched when he reached over to her arm holding her jacket. She stood frozen in place, and she trained her focus on his calloused hand reaching for her white lab coat. She watched him wipe a bit of ash off her jacket, but stared at the appendage until he moved his hand away.

"I'll make sure he finds you something."

Sakura tilted her chin up to look him in the eye, but he glanced away.

"Why?"

He looked at her intensely, and her stomach clenched again in that unknown sensation. There was a softness behind the heat of his eyes, and Sakura reached up to distract herself by pushing some pink locks behind her ear.

He didn't answer her, just waved a hand and started off. Sakura snarled at his odd behavior, and she was tempted to grab him by his pointed hair and drag him back to properly answer her.

Her head was starting to pound again, and she whisked herself away to nurse it with some pills in her tiny apartment. God knew she needed them.

—

A.N: I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday if you celebrated.

As per my note in the summary, please vote on a pairing. I can definitely hold her true to having a couple love interests, but am looking to see who you would all rather see her ultimately end up with. I'm fighting between Shikamaru, Kakashi, or Gaara.

I'm getting married in 5 months, and am hoping to conquer as much of my writing in the next 2 months. Please be patient though if I don't update frequently, but know that I haven't forgotten!


	4. Chapter 4

**Carry Forward**

**Chapter Four**

Sakura had been pacing back and forth like a caged animal. She was infuriatingly bored and she felt the urge to break the glass in her hand, but she also didn't feel like cleaning the impending mess it would cause. She swirled the dark liquor in the glass, the ice clinking together with a grimace. She continued to walk through her kitchen, circling the counter a few times before depositing her glass on the counter with a snap.

Sakura clenched her teeth and stretched her fingers in her gloves. She was anxious, and she vaguely recalled the breathing techniques Shizune taught her when dealing with her own drunken mentor. Not that she needed them, but she toyed with the idea momentarily before beginning her pacing again.

She had been waiting patiently for the past few weeks, but that damned Kakashi still hadn't summoned her and he seemed even more elusive than before. She had daily made a route to his office, often being told he wasn't there by the ANBU guards. She knew they weren't lying, as his distinct chakra signature wasn't present, but it still didn't irritate her any less.

Naruto and Sasuke had left a few weeks ago, and hadn't returned from their mission yet. She shook in rage at the thought that perhaps they took a long detour, but she also had the vague sense to give them the benefit of the doubt. She had tried to corner the Nara heir once, but he was nose deep in political jargon to offer her more than a noncommittal agreement that he'd find her something.

Sakura was tiring of the hospital quickly. There wasn't much to oversee as the trained medical staff were over abundant, a problem she caused with rousing up the old councilmen and women to supply an accurate amount of staffing after the war. Sakura was adamant at the time that it was greatly needed, but now she regretted it since it has left her almost entirely unchallenged with peace settling along the borders.

She huffed, and tore through the apartment to toss her jonin vest on the back of the couch. She threw her gloves and pouch on the coffee table, and stripped herself of her black leggings. She had divested her shin guards near her sandals at the front door earlier and briefly thought to bring them over to where she laid her pants. She quickly diverted her attention to remove her long sleeve shirt, and untied her hair from the top of her head. She shook her pink locks before sighing deeply and readjusting her black camisole.

"Boring," she groaned, "Just absolutely boring."

A swift knock on her door had her nearly jumping out of her skin and her hands instinctively grabbed for a stashed kunai from under the couch cushion. She inched forward, feet stepping lightly along the boards while crossing the remove silently. She leaned tight to the wall on the side of the door and pressed an ear close. When she heard nothing, she placed a clammy palm against the door in an attempt to feel the chakra signature of whoever was on the other side.

Sakura frowned.

Hearing and feeling nothing, she whipped open the door and positioned herself so the tip of the kunai laid against the throat of the unexpected intruder, her other hand clutching onto the doorframe.

"Is that how you treat all your guests?"

Sakura blinked rapidly in succession at the masked face of Kakashi. She pulled back with a fierce flush, and sheepishly stared at his relaxed posture. His book open in one hand and the other waiving innocently at her. His lone visible eye closing and the outline of his lips tugging upwards.

"Speak of the devil." She muttered moving to the side to let him in.

With a quick glance around, he stepped in and she flicked her gaze around just to be safe before closing the door behind him. She turned around and found him inspecting her living space, and when he held up her pair of pants, she rubbed her forehead with her hand groaning.

"Gimme those!" She hissed when he chuckled.

Now embarrassed by her state of undress, she attempted to step into them, but got caught in one of the pant legs causing her to start to wobble. A firm hand gripped the crook of her elbow and held her steady, and she chanced a glance up at the silver haired man. His eye crinkled at the corner softly, but his gaze was intense and full of heat. Warmth blossomed across her chest and shot down the length of her spine into the pit of her stomach. Glancing away, she fought back a shiver. She quickly readjusted herself and slipped into the leggings easier. She tugged subconsciously at the hem of her camisole.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Sakura."

Sakura stood up straight and faced him to mimic his posture leaning against the couch. She cleared her throat and waved to her kitchen.

"Can I get you something, Hokage-sama? Coffee or tea?" She asked attentively.

"I'm not here as your Hokage, Sakura." His response had her turning questioning eyes to him, and she faced off in a staring contest with him.

Her eyes flickered back and forth between his uncovered eye to the headband covering his Sharingan. Sakura felt small being scrutinized under his heavy gaze, and she tried not to fidget. She cupped her hands around her elbows in front of her and she leaned further back on her couch. They stood like that for several intense moments before he stepped closer.

"I worry about you." He muttered seeming to be looking her over, and she thought for a moment he could actually see right through her.

Her anger flared and she furrowed her brow. "You can't be serious."

It was his turn to be upset, but he made no show of it from what she could tell. He was still posed as if he were merely talking about the weather. He settled his book into his vest pocket, and he shifted his weight off the couch. She followed his movement with carefully guarded eyes, and she vaguely reminded herself she had nothing to fear. This was her former sensei and her current Hokage. He was a friend. One albeit who was closing in on her like she was a wild animal.

"Sakura-"

"No, let me stop you here." She held a hand in front of her in a similar fashion to what he had done weeks earlier to her in his office.

He paused, and she continued on. "You send the other two morons off and kept me here when you know I've been _patiently_ awaiting an assignment. You know exactly how much I want to do something outside of these walls. Anything! And then you ignore me for several weeks! You can't just barge in here and expect me to welcome you with open arms."

Her temper was flaring and she had to draw back the bite in her tone. Kakashi was now stiffening, and she enjoyed making him slightly uncomfortable even if she knew she would feel guilty about it later.

"I haven't been avoiding you."

"You've been avoiding me since our fight with Kaguya."

They stood quietly for several moments. She distinctly recalled hauling him up under his shoulder when he was too weak to stand. Naruto was ahead of them doing the same for Sasuke when Kakashi and her were gathering together. They had stood pressing into each other tightly, her arm clinging to his waist and his own clutching her smaller frame to his side. There was a brief moment where they were lost in each other's eyes, and something had transpired between them then. She wasn't exactly sure what it was, but she wasn't able to explore the option at the time. It was lost when Naruto had called back to them to join them up front. Sakura wasn't sure exactly what she had witnessed in Kakashi's at that time, but she remembered wanting him to kiss her.

She had shaken off that curiosity when afterward she hadn't heard from him. She figured he was too busy with his inauguration or with inheriting his new government duties to spend time with the reformed Team Seven. She told herself he was too overwhelmed with rebuilding the city to spare time to train with them, but when she had heard from Naruto that he had spent time with Sasuke and himself that she was wrong.

Sakura knew nothing would happen in the back of her mind, but her consciousness told her he wouldn't be avoiding her if there wasn't _something._ Perhaps it was just her mind playing tricks on her or perhaps it was just because there was the heat of the battle reminding her how quickly life could pass before them.

Sakura shook off her train of thought when she realized she had spent too long in her mind. Kakashi still hadn't responded and she was unsure of how else to address him. She longed to reach for him to either beat him senseless or to make him see her for what she was. However, she opted for neither.

"You know how important it is to me to be helpful. I can do so much more than what I've been doing in those hospital walls. I need to be useful." She whispered.

Something must have clicked for him because he was shifting back away from her, his hands slipping into his pant pockets quietly. He was analyzing her again, and she stood a bit straighter, tighter, and more guarded.

"I know." He answered. "I'll have someone drop off the mission scroll tomorrow morning."

Sakura frowned at his defeated tone. Sakura watched him walk away from her, and he slipped out of her apartment quietly. She was excited for the prospect of actually having a mission, but she wasn't able to place why she felt so lonely all of a sudden.

—-

The morning couldn't arrive quick enough for her, so she had spent the rest of her evening rearranging her belongings in her medic bag and storing scrolls. Morning had come before she knew it, and the light was peeking through her blinds. Its rays warm on her uncovered toes. Sakura was in the process of readjusting her bag again when she felt a familiar presence at her door. She settled everything down and trotted to the door to whisk it open. The bored face of Shikamura stared at her and he waved the parcel at her.

Sakura snatched it out of his hands, and nearly laughed as he rolled his eyes at her. She shifted to the side to let him in, and when he shuffled in, Sakura wacked him in his arm with the scroll. He whipped his head around at her in a huff, and this time she did laugh.

"That's for still smoking." She snickered.

He huffed and settled into a chair near her bookshelf. She opened the scroll scanning the content with practiced ease.

"Suna is requesting aid?" Sakura asked with a frown. "With what? There's nothing in here!"

Shikamura sighed and reached into his jonin vest pocket. Her sharp eyes glared at him, "Don't you dare."

His hand dropped the cigarette pack into the pocket again.

"The Kazekage has been reporting mysterious poisoning in the civilian quarters of Suna. The livestock has been compromised. Their experts have been able to contain it, but haven't been able to locate the source. Rumors have it to be plant based which could be an issue in the water supply or in their indoor fields, but the Kazekage has requested a second opinion to be safe."

"So he wants to be sure it is just a natural fluke and not a political run."

"Essentially."

Sakura thought it seemed easy enough, strengthen your diplomatic relations while ensuring your livestock. It's an easy gesture to bond the nations while weeding out any potential uprisings. She scanned the contents again reading through the parts where it claimed to be official consulting.

"Why not just outright say it?"

"He wants to be sure of the circumstances before declaring another power struggle. It's too soon after the war, and the people need stability, not fear. Konoha is going as a good sign of faith between the two nations."

The one thing she absolutely enjoyed about Shikamura was his ability to decipher political agendas. She admired his ability to 'look beneath the underneath'. Sakura nearly snorted. If anyone was more prepared for this, it was him.

"Wait," she paused, "I'm not typically suited for this. I've never been able to show good face in politics."

Shikamura whistled at her and she chucked the parcel at him.

"You won't need to. I'll be standing in as the ambassador for Konoha so you can focus on the real issue."

Sakura frowned at him. He rolled up the parcel and settled it on her belongs. She traced the outline of his profile, and nearly flinched when he caught her watching him. He scratched at his chin and folded his arms behind his head while he leaned back in the chair.

"Do we have to report to Kakashi before we leave?"

"No."

Why, she thought. Guilt weighed her shoulders down, and she grasped the edge of the back of the couch with her hands. She probably shouldn't have been so harsh with him last night. She must have really upset him if he didn't even want her to report to him.

"He's been busy with the council meetings."

Shikamura must have read into her expression, and she schooled her face. Her jaw clenched tight, and she rocked on her heels.

"When do we leave?"

Shikamura chanced a glance at her. "Anxious to go?"

She nodded slowly. The blood in her veins was pumping quickly now, and the excitement was building.

"Meet me at the gates in an hour." Sakura nodded again.

With a puff, he was gone and she began scurrying around the apartment to assemble her bag. She had all the important items already packed away, but knowing she was going to have to stand in front of some of the more important figures of Suna meant she would need some more formal attire. She wasn't too keen on the heavy robes of Suna fashion, but knew enough to be more moderately covered to avoid the blistering sun. She wasn't too happy with the idea of all the sand getting stuck in the layers of her clothes either.

Stuffing the clothes in a storage scroll, she put on her sandals and shin guards, slid on her jonin vest zipping it up, and swung her pack over her shoulder. She dipped out quietly and sealed her apartment. Sakura made it to the gates quickly and realized she still had quite some time until Shikamura would arrive. She groaned. Hopefully he wouldn't be lazy and arrive early.

Sakura didn't wait too long though before he was strolling up to her, his own pack on his back, and his hands fisted in his pockets. They nodded to each other before agreeing on the easiest route to Suna. There was no time limit to the mission, but with civilian lives at risk they figured moving faster and shorter would be the most beneficial.

She promised herself she would bribe her spiky hair companion into taking the scenic route home instead. Besides, if the other members of her team could do it, so could she. She earned it, damn it!

Sakura smiled to herself as she pumped chakra into her thighs to launch herself into the treetops. The two of them set off into the distance with him keeping pace beside her. She was excited, and the adrenaline of finally stepping into the lush forest of Konoha was seeping in. She leaned forward to better angle herself. The prospect of being able to travel freely to other countries and visit was nice and all, but the looming mission was what excited her the most.

Sakura would finally be useful again.

Traveling with the Nara proved to be simple. He wasn't as lazy as she remembered from her Genin days, and he meshed with her well enough. Their pace was quick and efficient, and even relatively quiet. He hadn't spoken much which was relaxing considering who she had for companions most of the time. Naruto was loud by nature, and Sai was always stirring the pot with his inquisitions on social behaviors. Sakura avoided dealing with Sasuke entirely. That was a separate can of worms. Yamato rarely had time to interact with them since the war, and she stored away in her mind to seek him out once she returned home.

The idea of returning home had her grimacing. It was too unsettling with how quiet it had become. There were very few jobs higher in rank now, and with the academy being rebuilt most of the jonin had taken on students. Peace hadn't been easy to achieve and it was welcomed, but she wasn't ready to mill around painting fences or rescuing cats from trees.

Guaranteed, she always had paperwork to attend at the hospital and research to perform, but there was only so much paperwork she could sit down for. The research projects she had been given funding for were dull. Sakura frowned. Dry eye? Really? She snorted. The council had wanted every ounce of information on something as simple as Dry Eye to better allocate their money. It was her duty to ensure they would fund, but finding a compelling argument for semi meaningless projects was hard. She hated that part of her job.

There was another part of her job where she was an actual attending physician, but all that was being seen were scrapes and bruises. She seen a few cardiac patients and some patients with various skin diseases, but nothing to write home about. She had too much staff currently, and most of the senior patients preferred to stick to their established providers.

She sighed, and looked over at her partner. He was following along, his hair tied tightly back on his scalp. He looked almost rugged, and she found him easy on the eyes. She blinked at that, and darted through the trees to hide her flush.

They had been traveling for several hours, and judging on the sky she knew they would need to make camp for the evening. Pointing down with her finger, she jumped down to the forest floor. A soft thud beside her confirmed his landing, and she inspected the area for any chakra presence.

Sakura settled her things down before beginning to set up a perimeter. Shikamura had taken to gathering some wood for a fire, and soon they were sitting down cooking some light broth over the fire. Dinner had been solemn and she was grateful for the distraction. The sun had descended in a manner of minutes, and the forest floor came alive with sound. Her emerald eyes closed and she drank in the soothing crickets.

A rustling startled her.

Shikamura lit a cigarette, and took a long drag.

"You ready for what Suna has to offer?" She inquired with a wiggle of her pink brows, curiosity burning.

Shikamura blew a ring of smoke, and he focused on her solely.

"What do you mean?" He gauged slowly, cigarette dangling from his lips. His arm resting on a bent knee.

"Aren't you excited to see Temari? I thought you two had a thing for each other."

His brow furrowed together, and he took another long drag deliberately.

"The same could be said about your Uchiha companion."

Sakura snorted indignantly.

"Well, there isn't anything there." She muttered, flicking some grass off her leg.

"Same could be said for me."

She glanced up at his tired expression, and she felt for him. She reached out her hand curling her fingers in a 'come here' motion. His cigarette bobbed in his mouth, and he inclined his head to the side slightly. She motioned again to his cigarette, and he passed it over to her, their fingers brushing softly. Electricity danced between their fingertips.

Sakura took a long, slow drag. The smoke burned her throat. She blew it out gently, and she flicked the edge of it lightly before passing it back to him. A quiet understanding passed between the two of them, and he held her gaze for awhile before taking another puff of the cigarette, his mouth passing over where her lips had been.


	5. Chapter 5

**Carry Forward**

Chapter Five

Sakura was tapping her foot impatiently, her arms folded across her chest. She huffed again loudly, hoping the Nara was listening to her dramatic display. She had taken the second watch that evening since the Nara seemed too restless to begin with. When she relieved him, they agreed on an approximate time to begin to pack and that she was to wake him.

What a silly mistake because when she nudged him awake gently, the Nara grumbled and rolled away from her in his sleeping bag. Sakura, annoyed, tried again to no avail. When he waved her off the third time, she cracked the back of his head with a closed fist.

The Nara yelped and mumbled about "scary women" before sluggishly trudging off to relieve himself. Sakura had been glaring appallingly at him the past half hour as he slowly packed away his things. Having the later shift with no distractions, Sakura was ready and packed quite some time ago.

"Shikamaru, if you take any longer, I'll knock you out and carry you the rest of the way there!"

She heard a distinct mumble, and she rolled her eyes, shouldering her bag.

Still tapping her foot, she stared at his backside menacingly and he flinched visibly when he made eye contact with her. Sakura raised a fist and mockingly tugged at her glove. He paled slightly and picked up the pace.

Moments later, her wishes were met and he was ready to go with a slight cough behind his hand. She nodded to the trees again and they were off at a fast pace.

The trees were beginning to thin and the air was becoming dry. Her eyes flicked around and she noted how the plants were beginning to change. She named them in a bored fashion inwardly and counted her paces before switching her focus again to her companion.

He had taken the rear, a wise decision for a long range adversary, and she admitted she may had been a bit harsh in wakening him. She supposed it was from the excitement of traveling and she didn't want to waste more time than necessary.

"We'll be crossing the border shortly. The Kazekage had already given us travel entry, so we will have no issue crossing into the territory." Shikamaru mentioned.

She glanced back and nodded in understanding. Adrenaline began to pump in her veins when they finally had to depart the trees to take the road ahead. Slowly and steadily, the land began its natural change- thinning tree lines gave way to rougher terrains and dust clouds picked up. The sun was still rising, but the heat was already making an impact. Sweat beading down the column of her spine.

"Halt." She waved.

They paused to pull out their protective coverings, long, billowing capes with hoods. She tied hers in place and pulled the hood up, sure to place her Konoha insignia clasp in a visible position on the top of her breast. He followed suit and they continued on.

When the plants no longer grew lush and green but instead gave way to cacti and rock, Sakura repeatedly scanned the Earth to see where possibly the people maintained their substance.

"Up ahead, it shouldn't be too much farther."

Sakura grumbled spitting out the small grains of sand collecting in her mouth. She grimaced when her shoes sloshed in the mounds of sand. Her attention was drawn away when she suddenly sensed to low signatures. Her fingers grasped at the ring of the kunai hidden in her cloak. She stopped suddenly and leaned back on her heels.

"Hey!" Shikamaru grunted.

Two black figures with white masked peaked out of the sand, their own skin covered from the sun. On their headbands was Suna's insignia.

"Konoha, you are welcomed and expected. Come with us." The taller man attested.

Sakura fought back a retort, not used to being given direction, but Shikamaru's heavy hand on her shoulder had her clenching her teeth.

"Thank you. We appreciate the escort." His head bowed and he squeezed her shoulder lightly before stepping in front of her.

Sakura seethed at the display, but held her tongue in order to study the masked men. ANBU. She thought it was bold of the Kazekage to send his own guards to them, either a sign of blatant trust or lack thereof. She skirted beside the Nara and kept a brisk pace.

The walls of Suna looked ahead and they took long jumps to leap over the growing mounds of sand. The wind blew gusts of it about, and Sakura wished she had taken the liquid tears she was forced to study in Konoha with her. What a bad time to experience dry eye, she mused.

The guards at the gate paid them no heed and stepped aside so the four of them could enter. The large gates closed with a bang behind them and she suddenly felt skittish. Her bones aching to jump. Her wild eyes caught Shikamaru studying her and she turned ahead to weave in the streets.

Merchants sat behind closed doors and people darted quickly from one shop to the next. She absently memorized each face she could see in case she were to make any unruly inquiries of the people. The Nara was a pace behind her, perhaps doing the same, but then he was slipping next to her pushing her tight elbow down.

"You're too tense." He whispered. "They are our allies, not our enemy."

Sakura blinked up at him and released the tight hold on her kunai. Her knuckles ached, and she realized she had been clutching it too tightly in her fingers since the ANBU arrival.

The ANBU deposited them at the bottom of long winding steps before nodding up. She stood amazed at the sheer size of the building until Shikamaru started the trek upwards. She nodded slowly at the ANBU and they dispersed with a quick flicker, their signals still close by. She took the steps quickly thinking to remind the Kazekage to better train his staff.

"How much further up, do you know?" She questioned the silent man.

He glanced down at her and looked back up at the steps.

"We'll know."

She frowned and wondered exactly when was the last time he had been here. Maybe when he was last seen with Temari, she thought with a snip. She hummed and shook her cloak for good measure glancing down at the mounds of sand. The sand was weighing on her, and she sighed shaking more off.

"I just want a bath. This sand is killing me."

A chuckle startled her and she leapt up in surprise. Standing at the landing ahead around the corner was the familiar painted face of Kankuro. His mouth was slanted upwards in a grin and his hands placed on his hips. The purple around his eyes reflecting slightly in the sunlight.

"I can arrange that!" He said with a wiggle to his brows.

"I told you we would know." Shikamaru grunted voice heavy in displeasure.

"I'd like that." Sakura greeted with a smirk.

She caught wind of Shikamaru's surprise by his swift twist in her direction and she snickered to herself as she stepped up closer to the puppeteer, moving past the Nara heir.

"I suppose you can find me one where I can do it alone though, no?" She tilted her head in question to the puppet master. Mirth danced around his eyes and he leaned forward a bit.

"Fresh out. I can offer you mine though." Kankuro glimmered with excitement, his white teeth peeking behind his purple painted lips. She stopped a step below him and leaned forward almost touching noses with him.

"I'd rather go filthy." She replied with an equally wide smile when his face dropped.

She laughed a tad only to quiet down when the tense presence of the Kazekage came into view.

"Kankuro," he admonished, "Leave our guest be."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama." Kankuro straightened, his features schooling tight.

Sakura turned her attention up to the Kazekage, his pale face firm but the green of his eyes lively. He stood proud and strong, and she admired the strength of his posture underneath his heavy white robes. Then she took note of another presence beside him, one which had her tense and agitated.

Temari stood casually beside her brother, the blonde of her hair bright next to her brother. She stood with her hand cocked on one hip and she glared down at the Konoha-nin with narrowed blue eyes. Sakura immediately felt the distinct discomfort between her companion and the blonde intruder. Sakura's own eyes narrowed when Temari passed over her completely.

"Hmph. Look what the cat dragged in." Temari bit, steam practically flowing from her ears. "You should take it back out."

Sakura's teeth clenched hard and she moved to stepped past Kankuro to give the blonde bitch a piece of her mind. Shikamaru's hand on her mid back had her pausing though. Sakura watched as red crept up Temari's neck as the gesture didn't escape her sights.

"We are honored to be here." Shikamaru started slowly, turning his gaze between all the Sand siblings before focusing on the woman. "As guest of the Kazekage."

Temari whipped her head toward her youngest brother and Sakura could see the vein popping on her tan forehead.

"And Suna is honored to have you here as council and friends of this court."

He dipped his head in greeting and moved slowly to look at his siblings with direct, firm eye contact. Sakura was glad she was not on the receiving end of it. A shiver crawled up her spine, when Shikamaru's hand twitched against her back and dipped lower when he stepped up next to her, towering over her frame.

Kankuro was sharing a look at the Nara, and then darting to her and his sister last. Sakura imagined what was playing his little head, and wondered if it was worth even thinking about.

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama." Sakura nodded gently in his direction.

HIs seafoam eyes were once again on her and Sakura felt inconspicuously small suddenly under the weight of them. Sakura met his gaze head on though in challenge and was thrilled when his widened slightly. His lips, which were rigid before, seemed to soften slightly.

"Please if you will follow me to my office." He motioned with his hand, turning to continue the trek upwards.

Sakura, taking the initiative, moved past Kankuro with a small smile and wink and she deliberately ignored the sister on her way up. Shikamaru's hand traced the outline of her back as she moved, and Sakura felt a tingle from the area he touched. She blinked away the sensation and focused her gaze on the back of the Kazekage's robes.

Sakura made show of standing tall and keeping in step. They continued onward and before long, the Kazekage had them stepping onto the landing to a floor. The steps continued upwards from what she could see, perhaps to one more floor, but she dared not inquire. The guards posted ahead bowed low to the Kazekage and opened the wide doors to a large office.

The office was grand and clean. In the far center, was what she presumed was his desk, but was a far cry from what Kakashi's was. There was a neat stack of paper, a small desk lamp, and a pen holder. She noted his organization and glanced around the room to see if was finely decorated in a simplistic tone.

Sakura stopped and waited for the Kazekage to turn again to them. He motioned them in with his hand, and she waited until he settled himself in his chair to do so. Sakura moved lightly with Shikamaru flanking her, the door closing softly behind them.

"Thank you for coming so promptly upon my request."

Shikamaru bowed his head again, "Konoha is a willing aid and ally to Suna and its people."

Sakura trained her eyes at a place above the Kazekage's redhead and she steeled herself for the political jargon which she knew would take place. When Shikamaru stood straight, she broadened her shoulders for good measure.

"I am assured you have read the scroll of my request." The Kazekage drew, his deep baritone rumbling in her ears.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama, we have. Our Hokage-sama enlisted our specialties specifically to provide the best assistance."

She felt the heat in the Kazekage's gaze on her, "Yes, so I see."

Sakura balanced her weight on the back of her heels and she felt her throat go dry under his eyes. Focus, Sakura thought, focus.

"Kazekage-sama, where can we be of the most assistance to you?"

"I have several reports you may have access to detailing the incidents themselves. Those will be readily provided for you."

"And details of the poison and locations? Will those be provided as well in those reports?" She immediately regretted asking when he leaned forward on his desk drawing her attention to his hands pressing to his lips.

"Yes, I can provide those for you as well as access to our lab." The Kazekage's redhead bobbed slowly. "I can provide escort to onsite locations as well."

Sakura nodded in understanding and she pursed her lips to ensure she limited her speaking. She knew she wasn't as smooth as Shikamaru when dealing with nobility.

"A shinobi will guide you to your lodging for your stay, and then tomorrow you will be guided to the lab and an office to review the reports and findings in." He continued on.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but I rather see myself more useful seeing the lab today," Sakura felt rather than saw Shikamaru's disapproval, "if I may."

"Of course. I will see to it." The Kazekage stood from behind the desk, his fingers resting against the top.

She and Shikamaru bowed low and departed the room. She saw a genin fidgeting on the landing outside of the office and she assumed the poor boy was their escort. When he darted past them inside the office, she frowned.

The guards paid him no mind, closing the doors behind him, and she wondered if this was a regular occurrence. The pair stood awkwardly for a tense moment, the guards eyeing them suspiciously, when Kankuro appeared again.

"Can't get rid of me, can you?" He laughed.

Refreshed by his attitude, Sakura laughed as well before slapping him on the shoulder with a bit of force.

"Doesn't seem like it!" She chuckled at his pained expression.

"Come on. I'll show you around." Kankuro led the way down two flights of stairs to a wing with several doors.

Sakura made a show of looking around seeing no shinobi or other personnel.

"This is Gaara's personal floor. He keeps all his friends here when they pass through." Kankuro explained unlocking two doors side by side. "Take your pick."

Sakura was in awe at the sheer size of the room and the neat display. Taking a step in the first room, she looked around the corner to see a separate living space with a small kitchenette and bedroom. Further back, Sakura could spy a sizable bathroom with a large closet next to it.

"Kankuro, this it too much!" She exclaimed.

"Only the best per the Kazekage." He shrugged, his black shirt bunching.

"Thank you." She smiled again, depositing her bag in the small foyer.

"Don't thank me, thank him. But if you must-" he was cut short by Shikamaru roughly pushing past him.

"Thanks again." Shikamaru grunted entering the second room. "See you in five."

"See you in five." She agreed before closing the door on Kankuro with a smirk.

—-

A.N: Short and sweet. I want to thank everyone for polling in the reviews. I haven't entirely decided yet, but I will still be hinting at relationships throughout and pitting our lovable heroes against each other for her affection. I want to keep it a surprise for as long as I can.

I do want to note that I want to build a relationship between certain characters and I want to show how each character may/may not be in favor. Think of it as a long tease. We all have been in a position where we've been familiar with a person, but still hmmmed and hawed about them. This is no different. I want you to see in written context by how she addresses these individuals. For instance, how not once she is written thinking about Gaara as "Gaara" but as the "Kazekage", or how she calls Shikamaru "the Nara" instead of by name depending on how she feels about him.

This will keep you all in sync with how she feels in the moment if I don't explicitly state it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Carry Forward**

Chapter Six

Sakura was drumming her fingers absently on the table. She hated waiting. She hated waiting almost as much as she hated being bored. She was both of those things now.

She knew the Kazekage was going to send someone her way to take her to the lab and the location site of the contamination. Sakura assumed her request was being taken seriously, but perhaps she was wrong. She absentmindedly glanced at the clock on the wall.

She had been waiting _well_ over an hour.

Sakura growled in her throat and dropped her hands harshly against the wood of the table. She fiddled with the idea of roaming the city limits until she found it, but doubted the Nara would appreciate her disappearance.

A soft knock had her head spinning towards her door. She blinked rapidly having not sensed another presence so close, and her fingers traced along her jonin vest to a kunai she had tucked away. She hadn't realized how far off in her thoughts she was..

Another knock had her shifting to her feet, and anxiety crept up her spine. Crossing the room, she pressed an ear close to the door and listened intently. No noticeable sounds came through the door, so she slowly opened the door and to her surprise she found herself a guest.

"Haruno-San, if you are prepared I can take you to the lab."

"Kazekage-sama," Sakura breathed unexpectedly.

Sakura fumbled briefly to register his straight posture blocking her door frame. Her eyelashes fluttered in surprise, and she nearly stumbled on her words.

"Please Kazekage-sama, but I'm sure you have more important things to attend to than escorting me." She waved her arms excitedly.

His redhead bobbed slightly and he looked leisurely on at her before shifting away. When she made no immediate move to follow, he paused and turned his nose up at her, jerking it in the direction to follow him.

_Rude_, she thought with a sniff.

Sakura stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her to keep the billowing sand from drifting in. She took several large strides to catch up to him, and she followed after him down the stairwell. She glanced behind her wondering if she should bother Shikamaru or not, but she passed over the thought quickly in order to focus on the man in front of her as he trudged forth.

He was moving quickly, and not before long they were entering into the busy streets of Suna. She maneuvered around several people, all of who were fawning over their Kazekage with great fondness. _I suppose he turned out ok, _she thought, thinking of Naruto's affect on him.

Sakura bobbed and weaved through the streets following his taller, broad form and soon enough they were turning into a more secluded section of the city. Her mind was mapping every possible entrance and exit, and she mentally ran a tally of all the windows in the buildings surrounding the location, sand billowing more in the open streets instead of between the taller buildings like these.

The Kazekage darted up a flight of steps tucked away between the buildings, an entrance she nearly missed had she not been following so closely. Sakura looked up the dark flight of stairs and swallowed down a bit of nerves.

It was a darker and slightly more foreboding building they entered, and she narrowed her vision on the darkest corners. He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door before disappearing into the foyer of the building. _One entrance, no windows, _she thought before stepping in herself.

"Kazekage-sama," she elected to tapping the heel of her sandal on the floor to regain his center of focus.

She watched him skim his hand along the wall to activate the overhead lights with barely seeing the motion. The lights blinked too and flickered in and out with a buzz before steadily brightening the room. _Old, _she thought with a grimace, _how fucking old._

Sakura felt the groan building in her throat when she glanced around at the oddly primitive makeshift lab. She stepped further in, the door clicking closed behind her, and she fingered the closest table rim where a layer of dust had settled.

Six tables laid spread out in the single room. Some microscopes sat uncovered and some random supplies littered a table in the back corner. She grimaced further at how unused and unsanitary everything seemed. She knew she was spoiled back in Konoha, where she was practically given all the new gadgets and toys, but _this _was another level of primitive.

"Suna was not one to participate in medical and scientific advancements over the decades." The deep riches of his tone had her shifting her body in his direction.

"Something which should be changed." She responded flatly flicking the dust from her fingertips.

"Convincing our council has proven to be...difficult."

"Why?" Sakura tilted her head in inquiry.

The Kazekage's seafoam gaze was studying her again, and she opted to mentally slap herself for being so crass. Anxiously awaiting his answer, if he decided to even give one, had her foot tapping and her hand settling on her hip. Dusty tabletop forgotten.

His response itself wasn't entirely unexpected though disheartening. "Suna has prized itself on its culture and elects to hold to what has been a proven success."

She moved away from the table to step closer towards him leaving them only a few steps away from each other. He was standing tall and firm, the picture of strength and dignity, and an example of what leaders typically appeared to be. But curiosity was itching along her skin, and she wondered, _what leader doesn't push to learn and do more for the sake of their people._

"Even if it means to slow down progress in health and education?"

He blinked with dark rimmed eyes twinkling. "Perhaps so."

"Why wait until the people are ill or dying to seek aid? It should all be done as a preventative means. There's a lot Suna can do for its people by simply updating your lab or hospital." Sakura felt her head ache. "Perhaps there's something I can prove to help you with."

"And how could you do that?" He was circling her suddenly like prey and she felt her hackles rise to the challenge in his posture.

"I'm a _very well_ educated woman and a prized shinobi." She turned so her body was always facing him in his trek. "_My _medical and scientific advancements have saved countless lives and have boosted Konoha's economy. Shouldn't Suna aim to do the same?"

The redhead seemed to stop at her sudden outburst, and she admonished herself for having no tact. Sakura whipped her hair over her shoulder, and raised her chin high.

"Why would you opt for _this_" her hand darting around the dim room, "and not for a chance of further protecting your people?"

His narrowed eyes were her only hint of reading him. "I have protected my people well."

"But not nearly enough if this situation reads anything into it."

His sand was encasing her wrist and she flung her arm up in surprise as he rushed to her. His hand was suddenly encasing her jaw tightly and her other hand weaved into the fabric of his burgundy coat. She snarled at him in warning and the Kazekage made no move to do much more.

Sakura was breathing shallowly from her nose and scrunching her face as his breath fanned over her. He was piercing her with heavy eyes, and they stood still in a standoff. The sand was tight on her wrist and held firm, but noticeably not enough to harm her.

"What do you know of Suna's people?" He was searching her gaze for something, and Sakura wasn't sure what.

"I know they deserve the best care they can possibly receive." She huffed. "And I know it's something we can manage together if we work like a team."

He must have seen something in her because he released her after a tense moment to stalk behind her. She turned around to watch him closely, the blood rushing in her veins and pounding loudly in her ears.

The Kazekage stopped before a notebook and flipped it open before grabbing a pencil laying useless on the tabletop. He circled some things on the page before dropping the pencil and swiftly moving to another table with a microscope. He flicked it on, and sharply turned to gesture her forward.

Absentmindedly rubbing her released wrist, Sakura stepped tentatively forward and glanced at the notebook. He circled how many cases of poison were notated in deaths, and how many people were exposed. She continued on and stood gently beside him.

"On this slide is a sample of the most recent strand of poison. It has continued to mutate. That notebook details everything we've known and encountered so far."

Sakura glanced at the slide beneath the scope quickly, before turning back to him. He stood over her with a building desperation.

"Heal my people and prevent this from happening again."

Sakura nodded numbly, goosebumps rising on her skin.

"I will."

He stalked off with no warning and Sakura followed him closely. Just what had she gotten herself into…

—-

Sakura had stayed in the makeshift lab for hours. The poison itself wasn't a complicated structure. The molecules were easy to isolate and breakdown. The issue came in the lack of proper equipment to sterilize and prevent the poison from mutating further when she began the isolation process. She didn't have the spread of manpower essentially to isolate the breakdown quick enough before it reformulated again.

She was aggravated when she stumbled upon the realization she would need an extra set of hands with precise chakra control to manage the case.

She fingered the rib of the notebook and studied the neat handwriting. _Who is handling this case? _She thought with a frown. _And why isn't there documentation on how the molecules replicate and disperse?_

Sakura cringed. Whoever was _trying _to solve this case clearly had poor documentation skills or just weren't sure at what they were looking at. Then an idea swam up to her.

_What if the person studying this is the one causing the case and exposure?_

Sakura frowned. It made perfect sense as the poison was clearly man made and not environmental. The molecules were composed in a manner which was not replicated in plants or poisonous animals.

Chemical warfare was one way to overthrow a system or to control the masses. She doubted that the Kazekage would do something like this based on how desperate and reactive his responses were in their conversation earlier. Perhaps there was more at stake and more happening behind the scenes. She tapped the pencil against her lip in wonder.

She needed to see how the citizens were being exposed, and she needed to see the survivors thus far.

Sakura switched off the microscope and bagged the small notebook in her breast pocket. She tossed the pencil aside and made to leave the lab before doing a quick mental checklist of what the lab _should _have installed.

A concern she'd have Shikamaru address later.

She was flicking off the lights and setting to close the door behind her when a shorter stature, hooded man around her height came darting up the steps. She snapped the door closed and he jolted, his hood bouncing lightly on his head.

His glasses gleamed in the setting sunlight briefly before she could really study him. His head dropped low and his brown covering whipped in the sand.

"Pardon me, miss."

She narrowed her eyes at him as he tried to toe around her. She stood firm in front of the lab door, twisting the knob behind her to make sure it was locked. Something about him had her suspicions rising, and she felt slightly uneasy. He seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place why.

"Is there something I can help you with, sir?"

He hunched over further as to make himself smaller, and she noted maybe she was being too firm or unfriendly in mannerisms. She took a step down closer to him, and he cowarded further.

"I was sent here to...clean the lab, miss. My deepest apologies, I didn't realize someone was already here."

"No, sir, please excuse me!" Sakura waved her hands in front of her as a show of good faith. "I was just studying in the lab, don't mind me. I appreciate you coming by. It seems it may have been forgotten for quite some time."

Sakura laughed lightheartedly and smiled softly, hoping to settle his poor nerves. It perhaps did a bit, as he waved black gloved hands in front of himself.

"I'll come back another time, ma'am."

"No, I'm all set in there now. Thank you."

"Ah, but could you let me in? I wasn't given a key, you see, as a precautionary means."

Sakura frowned. "I'm sorry, but it is locked behind me and I don't have a key either."

Sakura frowned further when another thought hit her.

"Didn't you say you didn't know someone was already here?"

The man stepped down and away from her quickly, and she leaned forward to follow as her suspicions rose.

"Ma'am, I assure you I will clean it properly once I get everything squared away! Thank you."

He was darting down the steps and into the streets quickly, and she jumped to it to take after him. She trailed him into the bustling streets, but lost him quickly as a child darted into her legs. She reactively grabbed the child before the kid could fall on her face, but lost sight of her target. She grumbled a bit as the mother of the child picked up her toddler.

Sakura sighed loudly clearly unhappy with the events of the day. _I wonder what that was all about_, she thought.

Sakura dipped forward and weaved through the crowd before settling on the path she retraced to the Kazekage tower. She shook her clothes to shake out the sand sticking in the folds, and set her sights on trying to locate Shikamaru. He would know what to make of it all.

She fluttered through the thinning crowd as the sun was beginning its descent and she took the stairs two at a time. Focusing on Shikamaru's chakra signature, she found herself halfway up the tower before a double set of doors. She listened idolly to some chattering voices before knocking rapidly.

The doors opened and she chanced a look past a shinobi posted inside to see Shikamaru seated at a round table with a few other men. He nodded quickly and waved her in.

Pushing past the obviously disgruntled guard, she bobbed her head in greeting to her companion before stealing the empty seat beside him.

"Sakura! So glad you made it!" Kankuro greeted wholeheartedly with a shit eating grin.

"Happy to be here." She grumbled adjusting her flak jacket to unzipped it slightly.

Kankuro's whistle had her shooting him a tight glare, and he wisened up with a low chuckle.

"We're happy to host the Hokage's staff, but we were unaware there would be feminine company."

Sakura glanced at the withered old croon who was snarling in his seat across the table. His wrinkled fingers were tapping annoyingly on the tabletop and he was shuffling in his seat to straighten himself.

"Yes, the Hokage keeps good company." Another old man snickered.

"The Hokage keeps his strongest counterparts close." Shikamaru interjected lifting a lighted cigarette to his mouth after tapping it on the ashtray in the center of the table. "Tsunade-sama's infamous apprentice is his closest ally."

The old croons all froze and Sakura felt pride swell in her chest. She lifted her chin and nonchalantly leaned back in her chair, folding her leg over the other. Resting an elbow on the table, she waved. Kankuro laughed.

"We thought you were the apprentice, Nara-San." One croaked, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead.

"I am no longer Tsunade-sama's apprentice as I have since passed her work, but I still service the greater good of Konoha on the frontlines as much as I do in the hospital wing."

Shikamaru's head bobbed in agreement, and she watched him mimic her pose. The two leaf inn shared a glance as the old men sputtered for a moment.

"A woman on the frontlines? Hah!" Old laughed, his gut bouncing from the jester.

"And one who has already managed to fix part of your problem." She inspected her nails and set to picking the sand from beneath them.

It grew oddly quiet, and she raised a pink brow at the men.

"Oh? Cat got your tongue?" She leaned into the table with a menacing aura. "I suppose you'd like to know how, but how could a _woman_ manage such a thing."

Her lip snapped up in a snarl before she settled back in her seat. She sighed and looked between all the counterparts at the table before lazily waving a hand towards the door.

"Best that information be left for the Kazekage's _closest_ company." Sakura hummed.

"Why you-!"

"Dismissed."

The Kazekage's presence was foreboding and even just the one simple word, not even directed at her, was enough to cause her spin to snap straight. The old croons sputtered in awe, but obliged with quick, short bows before scampering off. Kankuro and Shikamaru were both sitting straighter and more level in their chairs. Shikamaru's cigarette all forgotten on his fingertips.

As the room cleared, she turned her head to glance over her shoulder at the stiff posture of the Kazekage, his robes draped loosely over his square shoulders. She unfolded her legs and righted herself in her seat.

"Kazekage-sama." She made to stand for him, but he waved her down.

He strutted around the table, and settled into the vacated seat beside his brother.

"My apologies, Haruno-San, the Elders are not used to women in proper stature."

"I understand, sir."

His seafoam eyes were piercing her again. "You say you have found an antidote."

She nodded numbly.

Coughing slightly to clear her throat, she drew the notebook from her breast pocket. "The notes are severely lacking, but based on my physical exam of the molecules, with the right amount of chakra stimulation it can be broken down into simple components and manipulated. I would need another individual with precise chakra control to then disperse the cells."

She opened it to a page where she had drawn the molecule maps. She tapped on the drawing with a well worn hand.

"This is man made. It is easy to eradicate, but the question is how it is being spread and why."

The group seemed to absorb the information earnestly, and she shifted her body to face Shikamaru. She inclined her head to see if perhaps he had gathered any intel from his side of the morning. When he made no move to add to the conversation, she turned back to the Kazekage.

"There was a suspicious lack of basic information on the case study I would like to meet the individual who was handling the outbreak before our arrival."

"Unfortunately, I cannot provide you that information."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because that person is dead."

That would pose a problem.

She tapped the notebook three times before leaning back in her chair with folded arms.

"Then take me to the source of contamination. I'll start there. If we can prevent a further outbreak of the poison, then we can better hatch a plan to capture the culprit."

"I can arrange that."

"Thank you." Sakura wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but she assumed someone didn't quite like what was occurring in Suna.

"Has this been isolated?" She pondered.

Kankuro took the lead here. "We have 54 cases of poisoning, 32 have died within 48 hours of showing symptoms."

"Symptoms would have started relatively soon based on the molecules I've seen, but I would have to conduct a physical exam on the remaining patients to determine the exact time of contraction and onset."

His nod was short.

"Based on what the Elders have stated prior to your arrival, there is a greenhouse where gardeners were first exposed, but then other cases began in different sectors on a small basis."

"Did the other sectors have direct contact with the gardeners?" She questioned.

"We are not directly sure. They haven't lived long enough to say or their symptoms have prevented them from speaking." Kankuro rubbed his neck with a sigh.

"When can I see the remaining patients and when can I inspect the bodies?"

Kankuro grimaced. "The bodies have been incinerated due to fear of contraction."

"And why would you dispose of key evidence?" She ground out with bared teeth.

Kankuro was taken aback by her blatant allegation, but the Kazekage seemed interested.

"Valid point." The Kazekage put his hands together and settled it on the tabletop.

"Take me first to the patients, and then the sites."

"No, it's too late in the evening. They have been sedated to calm their symptoms for now. We will see to them in the morning."

Shikamaru put a hand on Sakura's knee to quiet her protest. "What are their symptoms?"

"Fevers, blistering tongues, and burned throats. The patients break out in chills and cold sweats. They have no means of keeping down fluids or food as their body cannot properly digest it."

Sakura fiddled with the page of the notebook between her fingers. The heat of his hand on her knee kept her from leaping up to charge to the hospital right then and there.

"IV sedation and IV fluids are the only means of keeping them for as long as we have. Very few have made it past the 48 hour mark."

"Let me meet the hospital staff first then to select who has the precise chakra control needed to mend this. I can teach them how with the sample you've provided, but based on the possibility of more patients being exposed I will need more samples."

"Agreeable. Kankuro will take you to the hospital staff, and then this evening I will take you to the first contamination site." The Kazekage was standing, and they all followed suit.

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama." She bowed at the waist.

He left with no parting words, a storm of sand cloaking him, and Sakura found herself dreading the selection she'd have to choose from. She turned green eyes to Shikamaru and pleaded with him quietly to come with. When he shook his head no, he set his hand on her shoulder.

"I have several other meetings to attend to, but I will meet with you later to catch up." His dark eyes were ensnaring her, and she breathed gently through her nose.

Sakura nodded, his hand clenching on her shoulder gently, before he released her to follow after the Kazekage. She turned toward Kankuro with a sigh at his grin.

"Let's get this over with."


	7. Chapter 7

**Carry Forward**

Chapter Seven

Sakura was close to hitting her head on the nearest wall. Rounding up the hospital staff had been a chore, one which she set on Kankuro since he was _all too eager_ to help, but as she reviewed their personal files, she doubted it would be even worth it.

Most of the hospital staff were either basic civilians with no vast amount of producible chakra or the staffing was limited on what medical grade chakra was usable. Her largest problem was that none of these staff members were trained for what she would need them for, a task which would be daunting to take on in such a short span of time.

Thus her dire need to knock herself out.

Sakura sighed and rubbed a hand across her brow to pinch the bridge of her nose in a very Kakashi like fashion. That thought had her reeling. She recalled the times standing in front of his desk demanding a mission outside of the Konoha walls and how his tired eyes would close and he'd similarly touch his face. She often ignored the tight aura he produced, too busy in her stance and fight to acknowledge his own plight. Sakura shook her head. No use in dwelling in the past.

She knew she would have to thank him for this opportunity when she went back home.

Home.

Another thought which had her cringing.

She tossed the file she was perusing on the table in front of her. She scanned the table hoping to find an overturned file jacket she hadn't already read. She frowned harder, the muscles in her face craning to tight measure when she found she had reviewed them all.

Glancing up as people began filing in, Sakura crossed her arms in front of her, widening her legs to be firm in her stance. It was a show of strength and stature. One she had learned from years under her mentor. Being a woman often meant men in subordinate positions would not take kindly to her control, and based on the stoic and angry faces of the men piling into the staff conference hall Sakura had better set the tone immediately.

Once Kankuro snapped the door shut behind him, she took a moment to lock eyes with the many staff members in front of her. Counting out approximately twenty men and thirty women, Sakura tilted her chin up and to the side to better analyze the staff. None looked excited to be here.

"I need all doctors and surgeons to step to the left side of the room. All nursing and support staff step to your right."

When the men stepped over to the left and the women to the right, Sakura's teeth clicked together.

_Precisely as I thought_.

"All nursing and support staff members, please raise your hands if you know the basics of CPR."

The majority rose their hands timidly.

"Now raise your hands if you can perform a shock surge to the heart using chakra."

All hands fell instantly.

Sakura glanced at the doctors and surgeons.

"Can any of you?"

She was met with chuckles and some men shifting to mock her stance.

"Raise your hands if you can." She chewed on the inside of her cheek with a sneer.

When she was met with no movement, she stomped her foot on the ground, the floor cracking in rapid waves around her.

"I said to raise your hands!"

She was met with hands instantly shooting up in a few of the members to the left. Sakura calculated on how much she should trust them with how precise the amount of chakra needed to be to deliver a shock. She was even more mentally shocked that so few even knew.

"And how many of you practice that technique on the regular?"

Some hands drifted down, a couple remaining high. She nodded absentmindedly and took to standing over the desk. Tension palpable, she leaned her weight on her hands against the edge of the desk and clicked her heel.

"I will need the couple of you to teach the technique to the correct nursing and support staff in case we will need to resuscitate infected patients. At this point, no mouth to mouth will be given as fluid contact can be highly contagious. All staff will need to be trained on how to use proper PPE and how to dispose of it."

She flipped a few files open, fingering the front pages before folding a corner of each page down. She closed the files, tossed them towards the edge of the desk closets to where Kankuro was standing. Sakura made sure pull a few other files out in front of her, tagging those in a similar manner, but a different corner

"No changes will be made in tour of duty, but your stations may change. Duty time if needed will be extended and compensated accordingly." Sakura was met with a few murmurs, and straightened herself for her next tidbit.

"Before diverting to your station, you will all be instructed on coding and proper CPR using shock surges. I am unsure if your hospital has set procedures or not, and I personally don't care, we are going to rearrange the hospital to better suit the circumstances."

A man in the front laughed, his body shaking wholeheartedly. Anger boiled in her veins, and she crossed her arms in front of her again to hide her closing fists.

"Based on the layout of your hospital, there are no containment rooms, but we can rearrange the wards in a manner fitting to seclude infected patients as best as possible." Her eyes narrowed in on him, danger flashing between them. "I will not take 'no' as an answer and any resistance will be met with termination of status and duties."

The man was no longer laughing, but she could see the vein popping in his forehead. She struck a nerve. Good.

"No leaf bitch will tell us what to do!"

"This leaf bitch was given direct orders to make any arrangements _I _see fit by _your_ own Kazekage." She snapped back.

There was a silence stretching in the room, and the doctors seemed to weigh their options.

She approached the subject tentatively and a tad softer in tone to soothe them. "I'm here to prevent a surge in death amongst your people. Whether you like me or not, we are allies in this hospital. I can provide you the guidance and the tools, but the rest will be up to you all."

She flitted among the nervous faces of the hospital staffing. She could feel the tension and even the fear thick on the air, and she lifted her chin again.

"I can isolate the cells of the poison and I know how to eliminate them, but this isn't a task for one person. You all need to rise to the occasion, and those of you who wish not to will be asked to remove yourselves from the premises."

Sakura watched closely as the staff murmured again. Kankuro was flicking his kunai underneath his nails, and the glint of the blade caught her attention momentarily. When he stopped the motion, she turned back the staff who seemed to recompose themselves.

"Good. Let's begin."

—

Sakura handed Kankuro the three stacks of files she made. She dropped the load into his awaiting hands, and he grunted on the impact, shuffling his feet to steady himself.

"You could have told me they were imbeciles." Sakura muttered through chapped lips.

Kankuro's tight smile wasn't reassuring. "Suna doesn't- well, hasn't designated funds towards it's medical programs."

"They are hardworking people who lack the training, but they will do. People willing to learn are more eager to produce results." Turning dejectedly to the now empty room, Sakura ran a hand through her pink locks.

"Perhaps with these adjustments, they will be more open to making a stand for better working conditions and more people will become interested in healthcare." She mused aloud.

"Maybe." Kankuro shrugged, fumbling to readjust his hold on the files.

"The top ones dog-earred in the top corner are the only ones with the precise control needed to disperse the cells. The second grouping with the bottom corners dog-eared are the physicians most skilled to isolate the cells. Those teams need to work closely together."

Sakura arranged the stragglers in a neat fashion to help Kankuro balance the files. He sighed gratefully.

"The last grouping is the nursing and support staff who can tend triage and those who can handle post-procedural care. This should be a good start, but I will still need to evaluate the patients to decide on protocols for post care."

She chanced a glance out the door into the hallway where a window was visible. The sun was long gone. Time had traveled immensely fast considering the amount of material they covered in her so-called crash course, so she needed to move quickly to make use of the last remaining bit of the day if she were to remain productive.

"Kankuro, we need to deliver those files to the hospital administration to finalize the change in stations and duty. Then we can head to the greenhouse. I still need to look at the contamination site."

"Kankuro will be able to handle that himself. I will take you instead."

Startled, she jumped to when the Kazekage blocked her vision of the window. Both her and Kankuro snapped to attention, and she cleared her throat.

"Evening Kazekage-sama. Please forgive me, but I would hate to interrupt the rest of your business day to transport me. I can manage fine with some direction." Sakura's palms were clammy as she clamped them behind her back.

His presence was not expected, even to Kankuro from what she could see in her peripheral vision. Kankuro was shuffling unsteady and seemed ants. The overwhelming amount of authority the Kazekage had over his older sibling was unsettling to her. Sakura swallowed a sudden lump in her throat.

God, she wished Shikamaru was around the bend.

"I will see to it." The Kazekage turned to his sand sibling. "Kankuro, take those over. We'll meet again in the morning."

"Yes, sir." Kankuro sped off as quickly as he could with the files balanced in his arms.

Sakura pensively stood still under the pressure of the Kazekage's gaze. Her fingers wound tightly into the black material of her shirt and she fought the urge to fidget with the back of her flak jacket. She hadn't been left alone with him since earlier in the lab. Inwardly she hoped he wouldn't hold her accountable for her mouthy nature.

"After you, Kazekage-sama." She motioned with her head towards the hall.

He didn't move, frozen in place like a stoic statue, and she sincerely prayed he would become easier to read over the course off the mission. When he did move, she jumped to, stepping hastily to keep in pace. She didn't spot her ragtag teammate, but she assumed Shikamaru was still playing peacekeeper with the rest of the council. He was well mannered and just as tactful for those case scenarios. Her not so much.

Following the Kazekage was like racing after a roadrunner. He was agile and took precise steps. He dipped in and out of corridors leading her to the outside vicinity. It was cooler now, the chill in the air sharp. Her body shivered unwelcomingly and she pulled a small trace of chakra to coat her skin.

His seafoam eyes flicked back to her, and she felt small.

"To preserve some body heat." She wasn't sure why she felt the urge to explain to him what she was doing, but she waited for his response nonetheless.

His eyes traced over her in a manner which tightened her core. She faulted in her step, but regained control in a split second. She glanced up into his eyes, locked in place for a breathtaking long moment. Her breath hitched.

He hummed a noise of approval, and a sudden weight was lifted from her chest. Her rabbit heartbeat pounded against her chest cavity, and she greedily sucked in a breath of fresh air.

He turned his attention back in front of him and continued on his path.

Sakura flushed and berated herself. So stupid, she thought with a huff. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt sleeves, and glanced down at his feet instead. She _shouldn't _be distracting herself. And even so, what _would_ the Kazekage want from her?

Sakura hastened in her steps to keep with his longer strides.

Suddenly she skirted around a corner to follow after him where he led her down another path, sand kicking up from their feet. They headed to the outskirts of the village where she could see a large, beautiful gray dome. It was massive in comparison to the multi floor hospital she had seen, and even larger than the home dwellings of the villagers. She was in awe at the sheer structure, but was even more surprised when they entered.

Lush, green plants and vegetables lined in rows throughout the interior of the dome. The interior was lit by small lamps hovering over certain stocks of plants. Above, there were windows where the moonlight beamed in. Some plants were in complete darkness in a secluded corner in the back of the greenhouse. Other plants were hanging by various sized pillars. It was a spectacle to see, and she wished she had access to a greenhouse like this back in Konoha.

As the door closed behind them, she identified many key herbs for both food and medical supplies. Oddly though, they were not arranged in any particular order. She frowned.

"What's bothering you?"

Blinking wildly, her mouth grew dry as he hovered near her. She wondered how to answer him, was it even appropriate to do so, but she murmured anyway. "Why is there no separation among the plants?"

He wasn't sure of her question, that or he wasn't regarding her entirely. She definitely shouldn't have bothered with an answer. When he stared at her with a calm facade, she blanched and outwardly sighed.

"I mean, you have a beautiful facility and a vast amount of space. There's a good assortment of vegetation here, but some plants don't do well next to others." She waved a hand around. "There should be a separation of what plants can be used for consumption versus which medicinal in nature. Even further, they should be grouped in a fashion benefiting their types."

He was watching her like a hawk. His gaze piercing her and causing her skin to pebble. She shuttered. Her nerves began to bundle tightly together when he didn't respond. Sakura sputtered a nonsensical response in place, not entirely used to having to thoroughly explain herself and not entirely used to being so thoroughly scrutinized.

'Well- I mean, look!" She pointed about and stumbled to find the right words.

Dear Lord, she thought embarrassed. She clamped her mouth shut and heat rushed instantly to her face.

A sudden flicker of movement caught her attention behind the Kazekage. She blinked and zeroed in on the direction the movement flew towards. She squinted trying to focus on it. He must have noticed her waning attention span as he turned around to better gauge what she was looking at. She moved towards him, and then slowly around him, her fingers ghosting over his left arm.

Shifting into a crouch, she began to crawl her way along the rows of plants. She weaved in and out of the rows through the small breaks in the rows and she dipped under hanging leaves and potted plants. Sakura's heart was hammering wildly in her chest, and she took deep inhales of breaths, held them, and loosely released the air. She tried to follow the movement, but then froze when she noticed an odd pool of sand in the middle of what looked like a trampled bed of tulips.

Sakura raised a hand to beckon the Kazekage over. He had trailed her in a similar fashion and stayed appropriately far from her until she waved him over. She dropped her hand to point at the sand pool. His hot breath fanned across the crown of her head, his own body heat radiating off him in waves against her back. Sakura turned her head to the side, eyes never leaving the pool.

A wave of sand rippled across the pool, vibrating slowly in the ground. Had she not witnessed it with her eyes, she would almost have never felt the vibration. Some of the vegetation near the pool rippled as well, the greenery of the leaves lessening in their color.

There was another ripple, deeper and vibrating a smidge faster, and the ripple caused the sand to expand further. More tulips were covered and suddenly dropping dead.

Sakura whispered, "Did you do that?"

The sand rippled a third time, a monstrous wave sputtering forth. A thick band of steel wrapped around her waist and she was hoisted away before the sand could engulf her.

Sakura clasped onto the Kazekage's arm, adrenaline rushing through her veins, and she gasped as they landed some several feet away. Her head bobbed back against the chest of the Kazekage, and she chanced a glance up at his face only to see him fixated ahead.

"I didn't, but I think I know what did."

Sakura's body switched into survival mode when she saw what made the massive explosion of sand.

A large bulb of the Venus fly trap shifted, it's green pointed teeth gleaming off the moonlight filtering in through the windows at the top of the greenhouse. It was enormous. The leaves edging out of the sand pool alone were the size of two full grown men. Sakura studied it, no longer focused on the Kazekage's hold on her, as the mouth of the Venus flytrap began to open.

Blood red ooze seeped from the fold of the mouth, and a heavy mist of spores began to pour out of the mouth.

"Cover your mouth and nose with your shirt!" She shouted.

Leaning down, she ripped a long piece of her pant leg off and wrapped it around her mouth and nose tightly before tying it in the back to make a mask. She turned to the Kazekage as he repeated as she had done.

"What is that?" She muttered.

The spores of the heavy mist spread throughout the greener even to the distance they stood at. As it rained down on them, she felt the spores spray over her, coating her clothes and skin in a thick layer. She swiped a finger over it to feel the texture. It felt similar to a cool mister, but the texture of the spores was slightly thicker. She watched the vegetation become coated and it began to seep into the soil. The plants didn't seem to react to it other than to soak in the mist of spores.

It reminded her of when she would feed her plants at home after a long mission. They soaked up the water greedily, and the plants in the greenhouse here were no different.

Sakura slid on her gloves from her pockets and she relished the crinkle in the leather.

"Well, whatever it is, looks like we have some gardening to do."

"We should better gauge what it is and what it can do first."

Sakura huffed indignantly, adrenaline still pumping hard. She sprung to, jumping towards the flytrap with incredible speed. Reeling a fist back with chakra, she aimed to punch the bulb of the flytrap head on.

The flytrap sprung to life, catching her off guard. It's jaws widened, opening and turning to her as if to swallow her whole. She had jumped so far ahead, that she was unable to redirect her trajectory away from the gleaming teeth, and she chastised herself when it drew closer.

A wave of sand pounded into the right side of the jaw of the Venus flytrap. The monstrous plant bellowed a roar, the sound ringing in her ears. Sakura shifted her weight back and landed in front of it, just shy of its jaws. The leaves swung out at the hand of sand, splattering sand throughout the greenhouse. Sakura ducked and rolled away as another leaf swung at her.

"Keep it occupied and hold it steady!" She shouted.

The Kazekage came closer on a moving pillar of sand, and she watched his hands flow into a few seals before another stream of sand formed into another fist. He nodded his affirmation and began his assault on the Venus flytrap. The Kazekage began moving his body as if he were physically attacking the beast with fierce punches and crushing fists.

Reaching into her breast pocket, she pulled out a string of wire and attached it to the handle of a kunai. She threw the kunai into a solid chunk of the structure of the greenhouse at the far end. Pulling the wire, she jumped around the end of the first leaf, tugging tightly to hold onto it. The leaf bucked wildly and the monstrous plant tried to wrangle free. Sakura held firm, chakra flooding her system to bunch in her muscles. The wire held firm and she planted her feet into the ground to better grasp the wire.

Darting around the base of the plant, she pulled the tied leaf closer to the stem, and fought to keep a grip on the wire when the mouth of the flytrap swung at her. Sakura dipped beneath it and rolled, a massive wave of sand passing over her to knock the bulb away from her.

Struggling to breath in her mask, Sakura knew she would have to move quickly. Sand pounded against the roof of the greenhouse, the ground vibrating as the assault continued. The Kazekage formed his sand like a cage around the mouth, as the sand fought to snap the mouth shut.

Sakura zipped to the other leaf, wrapping it easily enough in the wire, before a sharp tug threw her up. Chakra enveloped her fingers as she held on for dear life.

"Fuck!"

Sakura planted her feet against the tooth of flytrap, almost slipping in. Using chakra to coat her feet, she ran down the side of the bulb head. It shook and whipped its head around to dislodge her, but she pumped more chakra into her legs and feet. The wire was becoming slick from the mist and she ran her fingers over it several times to get a better hold of it again.

"Hurry!" The Kazekage shouted, brow furrowed.

Jamming a heel down into the flytrap head, it screamed and waved itself around. Sakura took the moment to fling herself towards the stem again as it wailed in pain, a dark thick liquid spilling from its new wound. Looping the wire around the stem, Sakura pulled, biceps screaming in protest as she fought the large flytrap and its leaves.

Using her strength, she sealed the leaves to its body, clamping them shut. The Venus flytrap wailed louder as it tried to free itself. Sakura darted to the stem where it sprouted from the ground. Assessing it quickly, she turned to the Kazekage who was still fighting to close the mouth of the flytrap.

"I need you to uproot it!" She screamed. "I'll take care of the mouth. Just pull it up!"

The Kazekage released the cage of the mouth and Sakura leapt out of the way. His sand hands wrapped around the stem and he began to pull upwards. The mouth turned as if to bite the hands of sand, and Sakura jumped up again, fist raised high.

"Cha!"

With a warcry, Sakura pumped as much force into her chakra laden fist and she knocked the mouth shut. The monstrous plants jaws clashed shut, teeth breaking with a loud snap. At the same time, the Kazekage wretched the plant from the ground with a grunt. The roots dislodged and the earth grumbled with the force.

Having uprooted it and the Venus flytrap crying its last moment. Sakura stepped back as it began wilting. The soil beneath it blackening and fumes filling the air.

Panting, Sakura held a closed fist to her chest and rested a hand on her hip. She swiped at her brow to remove some sweat before turning to the approaching man.

The Kazekage stepped down from his sand pillar, the sand dispersing under his feet. He took a few strides towards her before standing firmly before her. She engraved the image of him in her head- sweat dripping across his brow, dirt having settled in his bangs, the ink of his kanji harsh against the pallor of his skin, and how dark his green eyes were when half lidded.

Sakura's mouth ran dry.

There was palpable tension between them. Sakura's heart, still full of adrenaline, was stammering in her chest with such ferocity she thought she would have heart failure any moment. She couldn't look away from him. His visible features burned in her mind's eye and she imagined what she couldn't see: his thin lips beneath his makeshift mask, his defined jaw and the hint of what she presumed was a smirk. The same one he often wore when he dealt with Naruto.

She fumbled as he loomed closer. Her breath ragged against the material of her mask as she fought to find words.

"Kazekage-"

"It's Gaara." Sakura licked her dry lips as he leaned over her. "Call me by my name."

"But-" she stuttered, heat blossoming in her chest.

"We are equals on the field. You've earned it."

Her head was swimming with a mixture of emotions- pride, confusion, and a burning desire to climb him and exhaust the energy burning in her. She was tempted to do so until they were rudely interrupted.

"Kazekage-sama, are you alright?" A voice called from the other side of the greenhouse.

"We're coming in!" Another rang out.

"Step back! Cover your mouths and noses!" Sakura yelled, shifting around Gaara to view the newcomers. "Don't touch anything in here!"

Several shinobi were swarming into the greenhouse and alarmed she jolted to. She began orchestrating the shinobi back out to protect themselves from possible contamination, shouting directions and giving orders to those who began taking the necessary precautions sooner.

"Sakura!" A voice called over the others.

"Sakura, are you ok?" Shikamaru's voice rang clearer in her ear, and she caught sight of him dashing towards her.

With great relief, she jogged to him waving her arms around enthusiastically. She weaved around the greenhouse plants and came closer towards the entrance to approach him. His eyes seemed tired, lips worn as if he had worried them between his teeth. His hair was slightly disheveled, a few locks slipping out of his hair tie.

"Shikamaru! I'm ok. Please don't come in." At his dejected look, she eased his thoughts. "I don't want you to become contaminated."

"What can I do for you?" He begged, hands each fisted around kunai. Shikamaru slipped those away as she slowed to a trot, stopping a few paces from him.

"New clothes and hazard bags to hold our belongings. I want these cleaned before being touched without gloves. I can't risk cross contamination."

Shikamaru gave her a visual once over, and she flushed embarrassed at how closely he was inspecting her. Once he seemed happy with her appearance, he met her gaze.

"We can talk about it later, Shika." Sakura promised.

With a nod, he dipped away through the growing crowd. She watched his back as he darted about to their current dwelling at the tower. Her heart swelled at how concerned he had been for her and she smiled behind her mask. She waited patiently, but he didn't take long. He nodded over his shoulder when he was close enough in her line of sight to a secluded area where she could potentially change and dispose of her soiled clothes.

Sakura nodded back and she watched his shoulders slump into a relaxed pose. Her smile widened. Turning her attention briefly to the circumstances around her, once she was happy with how the shinobi began to contain the greenhouse, Sakura began her trek towards her teammate.

She looked over her shoulder though, the weight of Gaara's gaze still on her, and she blinked to slow the moment down.

Gazes locked.

She couldn't shake him from her thoughts for the rest of the evening.

—

A.N: I apologize for the delay. I know most people are sheltering at home, and reading is a great pass time considering the circumstances, but unfortunately I work in healthcare and am on duty more often than not. I know that is no excuse as most of you have been so patient with waiting for updates, but please continue to be patient with me. It's getting good, and I promise to keep you all guessing! As Kakashi says, look beneath the underneath!

Happy reading, my friends!


	8. Chapter 8

**Carry Forward**

Chapter Eight

"Shika, I already told you," Sakura rolled her eyes dramatically, fumbling her fingers around the pen she was holding. "He was taking me to the contamination site for evaluation. And no, I don't know why he did."

Sakura wasn't used to being interrogated so ferociously especially by her teammate and her patience was wearing thin. She pressed her lips together tightly as her fingers enclosed the pen sharply. She clicked it quickly a few times before throwing it down on the table.

The Nara was unmoving in his response, dark eyes surveying her closely. His arms were crossed over his chest, which was rising quicker than she thought it should be. She narrowed her eyes at him, hand falling down to slam on the tabletop. She thumbed the report a few times before trying to decipher what the Nara was silently fuming about.

"I'm tired of this, Shika. What's the problem?" She ground out, fingers clenching the edges of the report she had written up for the Hokage.

Shikamaru flinched before tilting his head back, an exasperated sigh leaving him. He blinked at the ceiling several times before turning back to her annoyed glare.

"I just want to be sure nothing was happening."

She leaned forward, dangerously close to unraveling her anger on him. "And what do you mean by that?"

His jaw clenched and his teeth were grinding. She tapped her fingers expectantly on the table, nails clicking loudly. He didn't give an answer immediately, something which irked her because she wasn't hiding anything and she was always clear with him. She expected the same treatment back, and she was itching to cross the table to shake it out of him.

"I mean," he paused as if mulling over his words carefully, "one of the shinobi scouts said you two were _very _close."

Her temper flared.

"Close? Close?!" She stood suddenly, leaning over the table to glare down at him. "Of course we were! We were fighting together! As a team!"

She waved her hands at him, anger besting her judgement. "Not like this!"

He was rising then to engage her. His hands following hers and leaning on the table to where their noses were nearing scraping each other. She was suddenly proud to find his spine underneath his lazy aura, yet she beat that down in her chest. Her anger came first.

"Like what?" He hissed, his own anger rising to meet hers.

"Like I'm a criminal. Like I did something _wrong." _She spat out, forcing herself to not crack the table as it groaned beneath their weights.

He was sputtering at a loss for words. She raised her chin as if baiting him to challenge her. She watched him search her eyes and his face drew closer. His breath fanned across her face, and she licked her dry lips as his eyes dropped to follow the motion.

"You didn't." He chewed out, eyes still on her slightly parted lips.

She snapped her mouth shut, lips going thin again. She swallowed down a wave of heat. "Then why are you acting like I did?"

The Nara was testing her patience further when he didn't respond. She jerked her head up again to gather his attention back to her eyes, and she tried to read him. However, his eyes were swimming with an undetermined emotion and she became confused. Brows pinching together.

"Shika-"

"Never mind." He was drawing back from her, closed off and wary, and she suddenly had the distinct feeling that she _did _do something wrong, but she couldn't place exactly what it was.

Sighing, she slipped back into her seat to drum her fingers on her folded leg. He stayed standing, lingering in her presence before he stood straight. His hand ghosted over the report before dragging the page up and rolling it.

"I don't want to fight with you, Shikamaru." She called as he began making the trek to the door of her room.

She huffed when he gave no immediate response, but listened as he opened the door to exit. "I'll send the report in the morning."

With that, he left her to wonder what she had simply done wrong. She sighed again running a hand through her wet locks. They had trekked back to her room after she had changed in an alley, shinobi attire packed carefully away in the hazard bag. Satisfied with the handling of the greenhouse, she proceeded to retell the story of the battle with the plantlike beast. Shikamaru had listened intensely before having her write it out for the Hokage. Then he had her repeatedly tell it to her as if new information would come spilling out.

As if she had any new information, she ground out with a bitter click of her tongue. Getting up, Sakura sighed defeatedly. She foraged through her belongings to find a comb. Dragging it through her hair, she sat on her bed fingers nimbly detangling her hair.

"Stupid, men." Sakura whispered to herself, face contorting as she tried to detangle a particular nasty knot.

Throwing the comb down, lost in her own thoughts, she forced her fingers through it and happily sighed when it finally came loose. Laying back with a huff, she stared at the ceiling. What was he even looking for?

She frowned. Why was he worried that Gaara was _too _close to her? Why did he care so much? It wasn't a scandal and definitely nothing that Naruto himself wouldn't have done had he been in the same situation.

Then a lightbulb clicked in her head at the thought of the redhead. His intense gaze flirting over her features, the way his body heat warmed her core, burning into skin enough that her toes curled excitedly. Oh, she thought absentmindedly admiring the powerful Suna shinobi in her mind's eye.

She could see why he was distinctly worried, but on the same note, why was he? The Nara never expressed a clear distinct interest. And was she even interested? Her mind ran over the scenarios in her head, and she lost her train of thought.

Sakura sighed, hand drifting down her abdomen over Naruto's orange shirt to its hem. She toyed with the edge of it, anxiously trying to decide what to do. She paused thinking of the dark, glittering eyes of the Nara before fawning over the intensity of the Kazekage.

Her fingers dipped lower, fingers brushing over her hip to dive under the waistband of her sweats. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes as she drew dainty designs into her skin with her fingertips.

A sudden click resounded, her eyes shooting open to inspect her door half expecting the Nara to be returning to her room, fear of being caught replaced entirely by excitement of the prospect of being caught by _him_. Glancing around, finding no one, she assumed the door had simply taken a while to fully close.

Sinking better into the mattress, she shifted her hips up to slide out of her sweats and underwear. Depositing them on the floor, she threw her head back comfortably to adjust herself on the mattress better. She shimmed herself into the center of the mattress, feet firmly planted to only slip apart as she settled fully down again.

Her skin prickled and puckered as she ran her hand back over the feverish skin thinking of Gaara's strong arm wrapped around her waist. Her blood began rushing as she thought about the heat searing through her clothes as he hovered behind her prior to the battle. More distinctly though, she sighed contentedly thinking of his bunching muscles and his battle stance as they fought _together_ against the Venus flytrap.

Her fingers curled over her soft mound, gently stroking the pink curls as her other hand slid up under her shirt to trace light patterns up her abdomen to her chest. She plucked a nipple and hissed as a ripple of heat sprang to life low in her belly. She closed her eyes, tweaking her nipple lightly, flickering her nail over the bud as it pebbled. Her other hand worked into tracing the lips of her sex in a slow tantalizing motion.

Sakura was engorged with the idea of Gaara's deadly seafoam eyes darting over her body with molten heat after their fiery battle. She moaned slowly, clenching her breast tightly. Would he be soft with her or would he be as rough as his calloused hands?

Then she thought of Shikamaru briefly. He'd be gentle with her. He would probably be lazy in his ministrations, slowly stroking her body to life. Her finger dipped particularly low, running up the slit of her already wet lips, and she couldn't stop the heat flushing across her skin when she scraped her fingertip over the sensitive nub of her clitoris.

She blinked slowly at the ceiling thinking again of Gaara. He was a mystery, but she had a distinct feeling he would be rougher. He'd be swift to take what he wanted of her and she had a bubbling excitement shoot down her spine. She plucked a nipple again, moaning slightly louder. Working her hand over her womanhood, she arched delightfully into her own hand, fingers slipping further into the sleek heat.

She felt a cool rush as a breeze drifted over her exposed legs, and she shut her eyes to relish the contrast.

Breeze…

Her eyes shot open and she jolted to a seated position in time to catch the catlike grin of Kankuro as he tried to clamber out the open window.

"Baka!" She screeched darting forward, hands ready to drag him back in.

His smiling face faltered and he squealed before throwing himself out the window.

"Get back here!" She yelled, throwing her fist in the air as Kankuro dived away, his laughter trailing after him.

Sure enough, her door flung open. Shikamaru darted in, kunai at the ready and she screeched again indignantly, pulling her shirt down to cover her exposed sex.

"What-" his face lit up, flushed red at her state of dress and he quickly turned around. His hand coming up to cover his blushing face.

Sakura growled and turned back to the window where she could see Kankuro landing with a daring flash of teeth at her. He waved up at her, and she huffed, anger fueling her to lean further out the window to screech down at him. He darted away into the night disappearing in its shadows.

She stepped back in, sure to close the window with a sharp snap and locking it before yanking the curtains closed. She whirled around to face the back of Shikamaru whose shoulders were shaking. Not one to be laughed at, Sakura shoved him. When he protested, she continued to push him towards the door.

"Don't even think about coming back in here." Sakura snapped, slipping him out the door before slamming it shut. She drummed her fingers against the door listening to his muttered response. When she heard his footfalls step away from the door, she locked it as well, hand dragging down her face exasperated.

"What a fucking night."

She flipped the switch to the overhead light. Anger dwelling in her chest as she lifted the covers, sliding into their warmth. She contemplated picking up where she left off, but growled when she found she was no longer interested.

Sleep took her peacefully to start, but as the night turned, so did her dreams. Murmurs and whimpers escaped her parted lips until the morning light roused her. As the light peaked through the curtains, she rolled over intent on banishing her nightmares until the next night.

Sakura managed to get through her morning routine, and she packed up to start her day at the hospital where she would hopefully inspect the victims. She mapped out her strategy. Patients first, set the attending list, and then head to the lab to inspect the spores.

She checked her belongings once again before heading out. To her misfortune, she ran into Shikamaru as he was departing his own room. His face flushed as they made eye contact and she chose to ignore him completely. Tilting her chin up, she departed taking to jump from the balcony on their shared floor. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, she made excellent timing to the hospital.

Dancing from toe to toe, she shifted around the nurses and grabbed the collar of one of the surgeons she encountered yesterday.

"Which is the worst case?" She questioned, eyes peering over his darker, wrinkled features.

He blanched, face paling at the sight of inspection. "Room 314, floor 3, ma'am."

She nodded her thanks, releasing his shirt collar to head to the stairs. The hospital was an old stone building carved out hollow. She noticed the flickering lights and the old handles on the door to the stairwell. She made another mental list of what she'd prefer to have in the hospital. Her brows furrowed as she noticed the open window panes as the heat began to scorch through.

Definitely would be needing to get that list started.

She blew a hot breath of air out, fingers clawing into her green vest while she took two stairs at a time. She quickened her pace eager to assemble her notes for the day. The sooner she got through this, then the sooner she could leave the blistering sand dune.

She faltered in her step, and looked back out into the sand village. The people were just beginning to rise. Their stalls barely opening up for the day. Some people were meandering around, gathering supplies or fulfilling their grocery shopping. Her lips dropped into a frown and her hand sought to grasp onto the stone wall. Her gaze shifted over the people as they began bringing out window advertisements and rolling out their charts.

Could she manage to be that eager to head home?

She lifted her eyes to zip across the horizon, the sun casting long shadows from the buildings and the sky lighting a beautiful orange hue. No, she thought, she wasn't ready to head back so soon, but she was eager to get to work. She darted back up the stairs setting a grueling pace and she located room 314.

Her patient was an older woman weathered by the sun, skin tanned and leathery. Sakura found herself chastising the chatty old lady for not wearing sun protection. The woman obliged by waving to her scarf and cloak.

"That isn't enough." Sakura spoke with no real fire behind her words.

The woman waved her comment off with a cough. She was weak. Sakura's hands flared with a green glow as she probed the cells and worked through her system. She was fairing better than she thought she would. Her patient was rather lively, but perpetuated with a bad cough. Sakura glanced at the chart and realized though, her condition was not clearly stable. She had lost _significant _weight over the past day at an alarming rate.

Sakura snapped the chart closed with a tight lip, and she eased her chakra into the woman's system to ease her pain.

"Is that enough for the meantime? Would you like some food or water?" Sakura coaxed, but the old woman was drifting to sleep peacefully unaware of her ragged condition.

Sakura sighed, making quick notes on the chart folder before exiting the room to deposit on the door bin. She flipped one of the flags up indicating the nurse to swing by,

Once she had instructed the nurse on what to do, she headed into the next room to study further. Each patient had significantly varying conditions. Why the surgeon had said room 314 was the most extensive was beyond her, and she grumbled at the clear lack of medical triage and knowledge. She saw a few other patients already in the start of her day with decay forming in their nervous systems. _That_ was much more alarming to her.

Sakura sighed, brushing her hair from her face. Civilian doctors were difficult to deal with and typically took a less scientific approach to healing opting for herbal treatment and home care instead. Sakura knew her face wasn't contorted in a friendly manner as the nurse chatter around her dropped when she walked past to head into another room.

She drifted in and out of rooms all morning. The time flying past as she gauged which patients would be treated first and by which surgeons and doctors. When she sat at the nurses station, they all gave her a wide berth. They mingled idolly and when her patience drew to its last breath, she snarled at them to move. The nurses panicked and fled quickly to find other duties to occupy their time.

Sakura huffed again, brushing her pink hair back for a moment.

She compiled her list and began another. Soon the nurse's station was covered in her notes and lists, an uncanny reflection of her previous mentor's office. Sakura then began organizing the papers as the staff filtered back into her view. She watched as each of them flickered their attention between her and each other. She supposed they were trying to decide on which course of action to take.

She solved that problem for them.

She began randomly assigning tasks to them and asserting who was to go where. She rounded upon a few doctors and surgeons, one she had worked with the day before, and began the painstakingly hard assignment of having them begin treatment, isolating the cells with their assigned partner to break the cells down.

Sakura had done the first three with no hitch. The surgeons and doctors clambered around her in awe as she had done so. Then she plucked pairs, so she could watch. Their hands shook and a few nearly gagged at the smell of the decaying cells as it steamed from the body. Even through her own respiratory mask, she was able to smell the strong stench, but she bit her tongue from commenting.

Sakura continued though to murmur soft words of encouragement. 'Keep the pressure on.' 'You're doing well, move a smidge slower.' 'Don't worry about funneling them, focus on your breathing.' 'That's good, keep drawing it out.'

After the hours of the afternoon passed, most patients were stable and she assigned the evening shift to be taught similarly.

"If there is a code, signal for any able shinobi. They will be able to find me." She assured, resting her hand on the door leading to the stairwell.

With a swift departure, Sakura fled the hospital eager to share her portion of the day with her teammate hoping he was as successful as she was.


End file.
